The 23rd Hunger Games: There can only be one
by Celinachanz
Summary: There can only be one winner of the Hunger Games. There are 24 tributes. It's unlikely that a 13 yr old girl from District 7 will be able to take down an 18 yr old male Career from Districts 1, 2 and 4. But life isn't fair. Rated T for violence
1. Chapter 1

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
To be honest, I despised the Hunger Games. I didn't understand why 23 innocent children had to die just for Capitol entertainment. They are also responsible for killing half of my family. My sister, Janita, was reaped when I was seven. She, like me, had been cutting down trees with big heavy axes since she was very little. She had a strong build and was 5"10 which made her slightly taller than most of the other tributes. But District 1 killed her. The boy was a violent killing machine. It was down to her and him. And he won. My mother was transporting timber to the capitol on one of District 6's trains. Her colleagues didn't count the amount of timber sticks properly and one was missing. The Capitol accused her of stealing and sentenced her to death.

It's just me and my father now. My dad trained me in combat and weapons in the woods straight after Janita died to prepare me if I happened to get reaped. I'm 13 now and today will be my second reaping. I was up at 6 o'clock this morning throwing axes at random targets in the woods. Suddenly, I realised that in the arena, my opponents aren't going to be completely still like these stupid trees. They're going to be dodging my weapons and trying to attack me at the same time. So I decided to throw my axes at something moving. I locked my eyes on a bird flying about ten metres in front of me. I took my aim slightly in front of the bird and threw. My axe sliced it into two cleanly severed pieces. Ooops. Well at least now I knew that I could throw with accuracy at something moving. I then tried throwing and running at the same time. I threw each axe with precision and they all landed exactly where I wanted them. I smiled to myself. I was ready.

At 10:30, one and a half hours until the reaping started, I decided to go home and dress up nicely. I opened my wardrobe which barely had anything in it and chose my violet summer dress with matching sandals. Father tied a violet bow in my hair and gave me a small velvet box. I gasped when I saw the contents. Inside was a small amethyst on a silver chain that went around my neck. 'I got a pay rise this morning and decided to get you a present from the jeweller,' he told me. 'For good luck.' I gave him a hug goodbye and made my way down to the city square where the reaping was held. I met my friend Arianna on the way down and we walked together.

Arianna was one of the weaker girls at school and often got bullied. I tended to stick by her side and help her out of sticky situations by attacking whoever was bullying her verbally or sometimes physically. No-one dared go up to her when I was around. She was the same height as me, 5"7 but was much thinner and paler from staying indoors all day. She had a thin freckled face with striking red hair and emerald green eyes. I, on the other hand was the complete opposite. I was strongly built from training everyday and was tanned from spending so much time in the sun. I had honey blond hair that fell in waves halfway down my back. My eyes were dark grey like my fathers which reminded me of storm clouds when he got angry. I could throw a punch. Everyone knew I could. I accidentally knocked my cousin, Cayton, out when I was training in hand-to-hand combat with him in the woods. I picked him up and carried him to my father who was practically laughing his head off as I came through the door.

Arianna and I were one of the first people to reach the city square. It was festivly decorated with streamers and balloons and there were Peacekeepers standing on the outskirts of the venue. I winced as the metal blade cut into my flesh and watched my blood splatter onto the page. I waited for Arianna to finish then we made our way to the 13's section. I saw Cayton in the 15's section clenching his fists nervously. He saw me looking at him and smiled. 'Good luck' he mouthed. 'You too' I mouthed back.

When the city square was filled, our district escort, Aquasia stepped out onto the stage. And to suit her name, she was dressed in a floor length aqua dress, a fluffy glittery aqua feather boa, aqua 7" heels and a massive aqua wig with a sparkly aqua hat on the top. I nearly threw up at the sight. I felt Arianna gagging beside me. I stiffled a laugh. 'WELCOME WELCOME! I FIND GREAT PLEASURE IN ANNOUNCING THIS YEAR'S TRIBUTES FOR DISTRICT 7! WELL LETS NOT WASTE ANY TIME! LADIES FIRST!' Aquasia screeched into the microphone, oblivious that it was turned on. I swear almost half the crowd covered their ears. 'ARIANNA STERLING!' she screeched. I gasped. The 13's section parted for Arianna to walk up to the stage. Holding back tears, I ran forward and yelled 'I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!' 'Oh! We have a volunteer!' Aquasia exclaimed, having realised that the microphone was on. 'What's your name deary?' 'Tamika Frentle' I replied. 'Well! I am betting my new apartment that that was your twin sister wasn't it?' _WTF? A TWIN SISTER? This woman's head must be made of newspaper. Twins? We barely look alike and we don't even have the same surnames. This woman has some mental issues.' _I thought. But instead I just answered with a simple 'No' to avoid discussion. 'And onto the boys!' she cried excitedly. I rolled my eyes and stepped back, relieved that no more attention was being paid to me. But my relief didn't last long. Well not until I heard the name of the male tribute. Cayton Frentle. My cousin.

'Well, Tamika Frentle and Cayton Frentle, I don't believe you two know each other!' she screeched in excitement. I gave Cayton a look that said _I told you this woman is a complete nutcase._ He nodded in agreement. 'Well do you know each other? It would make introductory sentences a lot easier if you knew each other already!' Aquasia continued. 'Yeah we do. She's my cousin.' Cayton replied. People in the crowd sniggered and laughed quietly at Aquasia's stupidity. One Peacekeeper shot a gun at the sky to quieten the crowd. 'AND THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY! HAPPY HUNGER GAMES AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOUR!' Aquasia concluded.

_A/N: Oooooh! What's gonna happen now? Cousins reaped together for the Hunger Games! Next chappie will be about the goodbyes and one very odd train ride! Stay tuned!_

_Please review/comment/like/whatever you do to Fanfictions...__**  
**__~Celinachan~ _


	2. Chapter 2

_Cayton Frentle District 7__**  
**_I couldn't believe that I had been reaped along with Tamika. It's an unspoken rule. You don't kill family. You just don't. But it looks like the rules have changed. It's exactly what everyone says - Life isn't fair. Only now do I grasp the meaning of those three words. Those three little words have changed my life. No. In a couple of weeks, I mighn't have a life anymore. I could be dead. That frightens me. I could be dead in two weeks. Well at least I can fight. I always practised with Tamika in the woods. Once she had knocked me out with an accidental punch to the temple in one of her demonstrations, but apart from that, I often had her pinned to the ground. I could use axes as well. I've been throwing axes around since I could walk. My aim isn't the best though. Tamika has more accuracy than me. But I have more strength. And that sometimes gave the advantage to a player.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I bet Cayton is feeling the same way as I do now. He's my cousin. I can't just waltz into the arena, grab an axe and swing it at his head. I would never forgive myself. Even if I could, I can't find the will to. Either we both die, or we both live, or someone else kills the other. My father walks into the room with Arianna. She comes over and hugs me and tells me how much she appreciates me volunteering for her - but she is worried for me. She's worried that I won't make it back and it's all her fault that I went into the games. I tell her that it was my own self that decided that I would volunteer and not her to make her feel better. My father walks over and sits beside me. He sighs then says 'I think it's time that you knew. Cayton isn't your cousin. His real parents were executed by the Capitol. Just like your mother. Therese, his current 'mother' adopted him when he was just a baby. He didn't remember anything. When he was young, he asked Therese where his father was. Therese told him that his father got lost while travelling and had been missing for the past couple of years. It was the easiest to tell him that he was your cousin. We pretended that his 'lost father' was my older brother to avoid suspicion.' He sighs again. 'Well... can I tell Cayton that he's not my cousin?' I ask. My father stands up and replies 'That's up to you to decide.' He kisses me on the forehead and leaves the room with a teary Arianna behind him. 'Good luck Tamika.' she says as Peacekeepers slam the door shut.

_**Cayton Frentle District 7**__**  
**_My mother comes in the door with tears running down her cheeks. She comes over and sits beside me. 'I'm sorry this has happened. Going into the Hunger Games with your cousin...' _**'But he's not her cousin.'**_Therese thought. 'And I hope that you will come back home.' she finished. She gave Cayton a hug then was dragged out by Peacekeepers. I sat with my head in my hands wondering what I was going to do about Tamika.

_**Tamika Frentle District 7**_  
Cayton and I were hustled onto the train and soon were being whisked off to the Capitol. I was amazed when I walked into the train carriage. It was luxury in its purest form. The plush couches, the silk curtains, the light food delicacies, it was way more than I could take in. Aquasia made us sit down. 'Alright you two, I'm gonna bring in your mentor, Katarina!' she squealed in her horrible Capitol accent. I gave her a sarcastic grin and she left the room. Soon enough, a middle aged woman with straight blonde hair came in and sat down with us. 'Hi. I'm your mentor Katarina. I'll be mentoring you throughout the whole training period and I will be in charge of getting sponsors while you two are in the Games. When you're in the Games, your life is in my hands so don't piss me off while you're here.' Cayton rolled his eyes. 'So are we going to discuss strategies now or what?' 'Yeah. Obviously. Meet me in my room in five minutes so eat up.' Katarina replied. When she left the room, we sank down in our chairs with a huff. 'Freak.' I commented. Cayton gave me a look that said 'I know right.' So we gourged ourselves with the delicious food sitting on the trays then made our way over to Katarina's room.

_**Cayton Frentle District 7**_  
'Have a seat.' Katarina offered. We sat down in the yellow plush chairs at the table. 'Alright, down to business. What strategy would you two like to play? Mean? Arrogant? Weak? Strong? Superior? You take your pick.' 'I'd like to go smart so that people know that I'm not weak but not superior. I don't want to be a major target for the Careers.' Tamika replied. 'Yeah, me too.' I agreed. 'Alright then, that's settled.' Katarina smiled. 'Now I'll explain the sponsor system to you guys. So sponsors will give me a sum of money to use on you in the Games. And the way to get sponsors is to make yourself likeable or making yourself look strong and that you're going to do well in the Games. That way, sponsors with think that you have a good chance of winning and will sponsor you. That's why we have to have a good strategy. As soon as you get off this train, you're on show, so act well. That's when the line of sponsors come and you want to have as many as possible. So get ready. We're almost in the Capitol.'

_**Tamika Frentle District 7**_  
Cayton and I jumped up and ran to the train window. It was dark as we passed through a tunnel, but it stayed dark for a few minutes. Then I realised the train wasn't moving. 'What's happening?' I asked. 'We've been hijacked.' Katarina replied. 'There are unwanted people onboard and they've got weapons. We're gonna have to fight to get out of here. 'Alright!' Cayton said. The wall of the cabin exploded as the hijackers burst through. I grabbed a metal chair in my hands and swung it at my opponent. There was a sickening crack as the chair made it's mark. His leg was definetely broken. I had swung it at the front of his knee - So it bent backwards. And snapped. Cayton was battling against three full grown men so I ran towards them, pole vaulted over the table, grabbed a porcelain vase and smashed it onto one of the men's heads. He yelled obcenities at me and ran off. Cayton had gotten rid of another man by sticking his head into a fish bowl. 'Way to go Cayton!' I yelled. He gave me a victorious grin. 'One to go!' He yelled back. We turned to face our last attacker. I flipped over the table, grabbed one of Aquasia's feather boas, swung on the ceiling fan and landed on our attacker's shoulders. I wrapped the feather boa around his neck, tied it tightly, smashed open the window with a chair and kicked him out. Cayton and I slumped down on the floor breathing heavily and grinning like idiots. Aquasia crawled out of the closet she was hiding in and came over to us. 'Uh... do you happen to know where my feather boa is?' she asked. 'Oh yeah... I strangled that guy with it then kicked him out the window. Sorry.' I admitted. 'Wow you two... that was amazing fighting.' Katarina said. 'We were in the Capitol at that time and every single person saw it. We've got a huge line of sponsors waiting so that's great! Now Aquasia will escort you into the Remake Centre. Tonight's a big night! It's the tribute parade!'

_A/N: Sorry for this late update. My internet got cut off for a few days and I only just fixed it today. Now that the internet is back, I will be posting up much faster! XD_


	3. Chapter 3

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
'Alright!' Aquasia screeched. 'This is the Remake Centre!' We stopped in front of a massive domed building made of gold and glass. Aquasia pushed open the door for us and we were pushed into a room that said 'District 7'. We were greeted with our prep teams and stylists. 'Hieee! I eam yaw stileest. Mawy naeme ees Feedewleea,' Fidelia drawled. 'And dees are yaw pwep tweams. Dey weel bee getteeng yoou readie fore der twibute parwade tonaight.' Then she left the room. 'What the hell is wrong with her mouth?' I asked. 'She got her tongue carved into the shape of a fiddle to match her name.' replied one of my prep team members. Tamika looked like she was about to puke. 'Anyway,' said another prep team member. 'My name is Aee. Cayton, your prep team is Bee, Cee and myself. Tamika, your prep team is Dee, Eee and Fee. Each prep team member has the first letter of their name stenciled on their forehead so if you forget any of our names, it's there to remind you!' Aee squealed. I sighed. This would take a bit of time to get used to.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
My prep team got to work. First, they stripped all the hair off my body. 'YEAOCH!' I screamed. Dee, Eee and Fee all winced, 'Sorry, you're just so hairy!' Eee said. 'Thanks.' I muttered sarcastically. When they had pulled the last freaking sticky strip from my body, they waxed me down in some weird lotion. It felt good on my stinging limbs. Next, they scrubbed me with this soap with rough, hard bits in it that felt like they were taking my skin off as well as the dirt. Dee used her nimble fingers to detangle my hair and made it cascade down my shoulders in one unbroken curtain. Fee did my nails. She filed them into perfect shapes and painted clear polish over them. They commented on how I looked like a normal person now and we waited for Fidelia to come in.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
I heard Tamika scream over the other side of the room. I could hear ripping noises which probably meant they were taking off all the hair on Tamika's arms and legs. That explained the screaming. 'Hmmm. Your hygiene standards aren't too bad so I don't think we'll have to do much, We'll just file your nails, do your hair then I think we'll be done!' Bee commented. 'Great. At least I don't have to go through that screaming torture Tamika has been put through.' I think. Soon after, I am told to go and sit with Tamika in a small room. We wait for a few minutes then Fidelia comes through the door. Seriously? Now I have to sit through all her drawling and her terrible tongue. Tamika sighs. Fidelia sits down opposite us. 'Aoo kaye. Seence yoou arre fwom Deestreect Severn, yaw coastrume heas two bee abaout peaper or twees. Ei've maid yoou twoe theese twee outfeets meade of peaper!' Ei'll jurst geo eand geet thewm. Theere acrwoss de reoad.' Fidelia drawls then sweeps out of the room. 'YEARGH! If I have to listen to that horrible drawling out of that woman's horrible mouth one more time, I am going to strangle her!' Tamika yells. As if on cue, a normal looking lady runs into the room. 'Hi. My name is Anna. There's no time for introductions. I already know who you are. Unfortunately, as Fidelia was crossing the road, she got hit by a car and has gone unconsious. So for the rest of the time you are in the Capitol, I'll be your stylist.' 'Oh. How sad.' I say. I pretend to be dismayed but actually I'm flying inside.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
A normal looking lady called Anna just ran into the room and told us that Fidelia just got hit by a car. Thank the lord! I'm so happy that I can't hide my grin. 'Something wrong?' Anna asks. 'Oh no. Just an inside joke.' I reply. Anna runs out of the room and enters again with two big clothing bags. She handed one to me and one to Cayton. 'Open them.' Anna says. 'Are these the costumes that Fidelia made?' I ask. 'No! Of course not! Her costumes are always ridiculous! I've decided to actually make you two look presentable!' Anna replies. I sigh in relief and open my bag, I pull out a white silk dress with translucent paper 'leaves' on the shoulders. I also find a white paper leaf headress and dainty white silk slippers. Anna helps me put it on. I gasp at my reflection. The costume gives off a faint white glow in the light. I look over at Cayton. He has a white shirt on that is covered in the same paper leaves as well as crisp white pants. He wears the same headress as me and white shoes. We stand together and we look like a glowing light in the centre of the room. 'Brilliant!' Anna cries. She makes me sit down and she does my makeup. Her hands move with precision and I have the feeling that she know what she is doing. When she is done, I look in the mirror and am amazed by what I see. Anna has somehow made my eyes look larger than usual and has outlined them in a hazy white shadow. My lips are glossy and pink and my cheekbones appear high and prominent. I feel beautiful. Cayton is having his makeup done exactly the same way as I am - except he doesn't need lipstick. As soon as we are both done, Anna lead us out of the room and hands us over to Aquasia. 'You two look lovely!' Aquasia exclaims. Now we're going to head over to where all the chariots are waiting and soon, the tribute parade will start!'

_A/N: So I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Next chappie will be the tribute parade! Now that I have the internet back, and I am on holidays, I will be posting up a chapter either everyday or every two days. Maybe even two chappies a day if you're lucky! Please read and review! _

_~Celinachan~_


	4. Chapter 4

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
We were led into an empty room with just a white chariot and two white horses in the middle of it. Aquasia tied the horses to the chariot and helped us in. 'Now since you two are in District 7, you will be seventh in line. I have put in a machine in the back of the chariot that blows out white paper leaves when you pass by - so don't scream if you feel something light and fluttery land on your shoulder. These horses are so well trained that there doesn't need to be a rider. The horses will go down a long road that ends in the City Square. The horses will put all the chariots in a formation and President Snow will make his speech about the history of the Games. The horses will then take you to the Training Centre and Katarina and I will meet you in the lobby. Good luck!' Aquasia motioned for the horses to go out the door. With a jolt, the horses started walking. I nearly fell out but Cayton grabbed my waist just in time. 'Thanks!' I breathed. The horses took us outside and we lined up with all the other districts' chariots.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
From what I could see, the doors were going to be opened in one and a half minutes. Before I knew it, a loud voice boomed: 'THE TRIBUTE PARADE IS STARTING IN 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!' The gates swung open and the District 1 chariot moved forward. The girl and boy from District 1 were dressed in glittery green outfits with jewels scattered all over them. They seem to be favourites with the audience. The crowd cheers and screams when District 1 rides through the doors.

Straight after them is the District 2 chariot. They are dressed as knights in shining armour. The girl is wearing a golden armour complete with a golden sword and the boy is wearing a silver armour complete with a glass spear. They look rather silly to be honest. Their helmets are covering every part of their face except their eyes so the audience can't get a good look. They stand absolutely still with no expression in their eyes. District 2 must have gotten a stupid stylist this year.

The District 3 chariot follows. Their horses are spray painted silver with hooves that flash lights of different colours. The girl is wearing a shiny silver floor length dress and the boy is wearing a matching suit. They have a tangle of sparkly wires on their heads as a headress and flashing shoes. I can tell the girl is nervous. Even though she smiles, it's just her mouth that turns up at the corners. The boy is more relaxed. He waves at the crowd and puts on a wide smile.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
After the District 3 chariot is the District 4 one. They are dressed up as mermaids. That is the stupidest thing I have ever seen in a tribute parade. You can tell that the District 4 tributes hate their costumes. It's written all over their faces. Their expressions are a mix of nervousness and disgust. They have some sort of rope that is meant to be seaweed in their hair and their tail flips up and down every five seconds. It's rather retarded.

District 5 comes through the doors dressed like power plant workers. They have baggy grey suits on with wires that flash hanging out of their pockets. That's not going to appeal to the audience. Although their costumes are bad, they try to make up for it by smiling and waving at the crowd. The noise level drops. I fear that it will be silent by the time our chariot rides through the doors.

District 6 follows. They are wearing shirts and pants with train pictures printed over them. They have a smoke machine in the chariot and it gives out smoke as it passes by. About all of the audience starts coughing as their chariot rides by.

Its our turn. 'Let's do it Cayton!' I whisper. He nods at me. We both put our most winning smiles on and we ride out onto the road. After all the coughing, the audience goes wild. I wave at the audience as we pass by. I blow kisses too. The paper leaves are blowing like wild over the chariot. I look over at Cayton. The lights have been focused on us and we emit a heavenly white glow. We are as radiant as light as we ride down towards the City Square. The crowd showers us in flowers of every colour as we pass by. As soon as the excitement started, it dies down as we ride into our formation underneath President Snow's podium.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
The crowd seemed to go wild for us. Flowers and hats rained down on us as we passed by. I kept smiling and waving at the crowd like Tamika was. We seemed to be favourites too. Before I knew it, we were underneath President Snow's podium with the other six districts before us.

I look back and see District 8 riding towards us. Their bodies are lost underneath layers and layers of fabric. They look like hairy monsters with multicoloured fur. It's rather disgusting. Even though they look out of place, the Capitol audience still claps and cheers out of politeness. But no more objects rain down onto the road.

District 9 follows. Their chariot is absolutely filled with grain of every colour of the rainbow. They are buried up to the waist in it. The girl is wearing a tunic made of grain with grain sewn into her hair which is in plaits. The boy is wearing the same thing except wearing a hat made of grain. They are both holding pitchforks by their sides.

District 10 comes riding out onto the road dressed like cowboy and cowgirl. They are dressed in white shirts buttoned up to the collar with a leather cow patterned vest on top. They have black farmer pants to go with that and a sun hat as their headdress. On their feet, the girl is wearing sturdy brown boots and the boy's boots are black. They look reasonably good - unlike the hairy monsters from District 8.

Following them are District 11. They're dressed in white shirts and sparkly blue overalls. Their horses are spray painted blue and covered in blue glitter. One of the horses keeps sneezing as if the glitter got up its nose. Because of it, the chariot keeps shaking from side to side and the District 11 tributes look rather worried that its going to tip over. But they keep smiling and waving to cover up the minor technical difficulty.

The last chariot to come out is District 12. My eyes widen in horror. The tributes are stark naked and covered in coal dust from head to toe. 'Tamika, you don't want to even look. The District 12 tributes are naked and covered in coal dust.' But she looks anyway. And wishes she hadn't. 'Alright. Their stylist has mental issues. Worse than Fidelia. I'd rather stare at her fiddle shaped tongue than have the District 12 stylist!

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
After seeing the District 12 tributes come through the door naked and covered in coal dust, it's definetely put me off dinner. President Snow makes his boring as usual speech and the horses ride us to the Training Centre and drop us off. Katarina and Aquasia come to greet and congratulate us. 'Well done!' Aquasia squeals. 'You and District 1 are the talk of the Capitol! We'll get even more sponsors lined up around the block!' Katarina smiles. 'Let's get you up to your apartment. You two look exhausted. But first we'll have dinner.' I give Cayton a hug. 'We did it!' I exclaim. Cayton grins back at me. As we take the elevator to our apartment, I realise something I haven't thought of in a while. _Cayton isn't my cousin._

_**A/N: Oooh! So there is the tribute parade! Hopefully I didn't bore you with my descriptions of all the tributes from different districts. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow and it will be about the training! So long munchkins!**_

_**~Celinachan~**_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hi guys! I've decided to split the Training Centre chapter into two because it's so long! But don't worry, the next chapter will be coming in the next hour or so... or maybe tomorrow. XD_

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
'Okay guys, your bedrooms are on the right, dining rooms on the left, TV set and everything behind that wall and you both have an ensuite in your rooms.' Aquasia explained. Tamika and I walked to our rooms on the right of the apartment when Aquasia called 'DINNER IN 30 MINS!' We sighed then walked into our separate rooms. 'Wow' I breathed. This was even more exquisite than the train carriage! I walked around the room barefoot, feeling the soft carpet under my feet. I fell back onto the bed and stretched out my tired limbs. I could get used to this.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
Father had told me about the Training Centre when I was young. He often went there on his trips to the Capitol. He told me about the large glass picturesque display windows and the odd buttoned showers that were in the ensuites. I made a mental note to be careful which buttons I pressed in the shower. I lay down on the floor and closed my eyes for a few minutes trying to recap everything that had happened in the past seven hours. I was reaped, dragged onto a train carraige, fought 3 attackers, kicked one out the window, put up with Fidelia's horrible tongue, dressed up in white papery outfits and zoomed past thousands of Capitol members in a white chariot pulled by two horses. Its been a very eventful day. I'll sleep soundly tonight I'm sure.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
The bed was very different from the one I had at home. It was all soft and plush and bouncy. I gave out a small yelp as I fell back because it felt like the bed had given way under me. That was awkward. The bed I had back in District 7 was hard and made of wood straight from the forest. The only padding I had was a small, thin blanket that was laid on top of the wood. After a while, I glanced at the massive clock on the wall and there were 5 minutes left before dinner. I decided to go and call Tamika. I walked out of my room and knocked on her door. 'Tammi! Dinner's in 5! Wanna come out now?' I asked. Her reply was muffled by the closed door. 'Yeah sure.' Tamika opened the door and came out. I gave her hair an affectionate ruffle. 'Let's go to the dining hall.' I said. We were the first ones to arrive so we sat down first and waited for Katarina and Aquasia. Soon enough, they both came along - Aquasia dressed in another ridiculous outfit. The food started arriving and my stomach grumbled in response. Roast chicken, succulent greens, fresh juice, it was beyond anything we could have had in District 7. Luckily for Tamika and I, we had been drilled on manners by my mother. When Tamika and her father came for dinner at our place, my mother would give a big lecture followed by a ten minute demonstration on how to use cutlery and table behaviour. It's certainly going to pay off here.

_Tamika Frentle District 7__**  
**_'Okay Tamika, you'll be able to eat in a couple of minutes' I told myself. My mouth watered in protest. I knew Cayton was just as ravenous as I was. I could hear his stomach rumbling from where I was sitting. Although I hated them when I was younger, now I was glad for those table manner lectures and demonstrations from Cayton's mother, Therese. I smiled to myself inside. 'Alright you two, I think I'll save the talking for later because I can hear both your stomachs rumbling from here!' laughs Katarina. 'Dig in!' I nearly forget all my table manners because I am so hungry. I pile up heaps of everything on my plate and pick up my fork when I remember I have to be ladylike when I eat. I sigh then pick up my knife and start slicing my chicken delicately into bite-sized pieces. Cayton seems to be doing the same. Aquasia grins at us. 'I'm so glad you two have decent manners! Last year, the two tributes from your district ate like they had never seen food before! They used their hands to eat and made horrible noises when they drank. It put me off for days!' Cayton chuckles. 'She sounds like your dad.' he whispers in my ear. I stamp on his foot as hard as I can but I miss and hit Aquasia's foot instead. The impact makes her drop her glass and spill red wine all over her outfit. Oops. 'WHO DID THAT?' she yells. 'Sorry,' I admit. 'There was a fly under the table and I tried to squash it. I missed and hit your foot instead.' I give Aquasia a sheepish smile. She sighs and begins mopping up the messy red stain all over the front of her dress. I glare at Cayton. He's smirking - obviously humoured. Hmpf. Let's see how long that smirk stays on his face when we're in the Training Gym and I have an axe aimed right at his chest. Let's see.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
As soon as we finish dinner, Katarina reminds us of our tactics. 'Let everyone know that you are able to put up a decent fight, but don't show off to annoy the Careers. It won't be terribly fun for you when you are being chased by a horde of 18 yr olds with deadly weapons in their hands. Nothing a sponsor can send you can change your fate at that stage. So play it safe and don't annoy them.' Katarina says. 'Will do miss!' I reply and trudge off to my room, Tamika at my heel. 'Goodnight Cayton! I'll bounce on your bed to wake you up tomorrow!' she says mischievously. I roll my eyes and head into my room. I hop into the shower and touch a button labeled: WARM WATER. Like it says, warm water starts pouring out of the shower head. I touch another button labeled: SOAP DISPENSER. A rectangular thing comes out of the wall and squirts a big dollop of soap onto my outstretched hand. This thing is pretty awesome. When I'm done, I hop out, dry myself, throw on a t-shirt and shorts and jump into bed. The last thing I think of before I fall asleep are the beautiful woods in District 7.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
As soon as I closed the door, I ran into the shower, pressed a button labeled: HOT WATER, scrubbed myself clean, dryed myself and got into bed with wet hair. I closed my eyes and exhausted, I fell asleep.

_A/N: So how did you like that chappie? Sorry if it was a bit boring. The next chapter is about the real training in the gym so it will be very action packed! Comments and reviews are always welcome. I'm not going to be like those authors who say they won't update until they recieve a certain amount of comments and likes because I know you hate it when they do that. So until then..._

_~Celinachan~_


	6. Chapter 6

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I wake up nice and early with the Capitol morning sun shining in through the window. Then I remember what I said to Cayton last night. I sneak into his room and jump up and down on his bed until he rolls over and swats me off. 'Alright,' he grumbles. 'I'm up.' I give him a cheeky grin and race back to my room to get ready for the day. I find a tight black t-shirt and trackpants at the foot of my bed. I examine them closely and find that they both have the number 7 printed on them. I put them on and go into the ensuite. I pull my hair into a high ponytail, wash my face and brush my teeth. When I feel that I look presentable, I make the bed and walk into the dining hall for breakfast. I find Katarina and Aquasia sitting at the table already. 'Morning!' I call cheerily. Katarina smiles and motions for me to sit down. 'Where's Cayton?' she asks. 'Oh, I snuck into his room and started jumping on his bed this morning to wake him up so he should be here soon.' I say with a grin. Awkward silence. After about five seconds, Katarina and Aquasia explode with laughter and are still laughing when Cayton enters the room. 'Have I missed something?' He asks in a confused tone. 'Oh yeah! You sure have!' Katarina is rolling on the floor laughing by this time so her words are muffled by the carpet. 'Tamika just told us how she woke you up this morning! AHAHAHA!' Cayton ends up bursting into laughter along with the rest of us. A few avoxes run into the room wonding what all the racket is. When they see what's happened, they smile at usand leave the room. When we finally stop laughing, we're due in the Gym in 5 minutes and we rush through our breakfast. Katarina just has time to remind us of our tactics when Aquasia whisks us into the elevator and walks us into the gym.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
We walk into the gym with Aquasia and we are one of the last to arrive. All the other tributes with the exception of the Careers are standing stiffly with their district partners. The trainer makes us stand in a large semicircle and he stands in the middle of us. I look at the other tributes. The male tribute from 1, 2 and 4 are at least 6" and the look on their faces tells us that they aren't afraid to kill. I see the male from 4 look warily at me because even though I is only 15, I'm 5"11 and strongly built. I notice a small boy from 8 who only looks 12. I feel sorry for any children that get reaped when they're 12. They usually get killed in the games and the odds are against them because there are bigger and stronger players that they have to fight against. I see Tamika look around at the girls. She's 13 but she's 5"7 which makes her taller than most of the other girls. I sigh in relief that she's not the smallest one here.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
The trainer, whose name is Antonio addresses us and describes the different training stations. He releases us to train and Cayton and I go over to the axe and knife throwing station. The trainer there smiles at us and goes to get us some axes and knives. I jog on the spot to warm up my tense muscles and shake my arms. The trainer comes back and hands me a big black axe with a shining silver blade. He sets up a metal target and asks me to throw from 15 metres. Easy! I take my aim and throw. As soon as the axe leaves my hand, I know I've thrown with accuracy but way too much strength for a 15 metre throw. I was right. My axe lands directly in the centre of the target and splits it into two clean pieces. The two sides fall to the floor with a massive clang. Every eye in the room turns to me. I grins sheepishly at everyone and go pick up my axe. The girl from 1 stares at what I've done in shock. Her green eyes look me up and down in disbelief. Hah! She didn't see THAT coming! Then I realise I've blown part of our tactic. We're not meant to attract attention. Whoops. The trainer stares at the broken target and sets up another one. I pass my axe to Cayton and stand back to watch him throw. Yes he has strength but he doesn't have precision. He steps forward and throws. It misses the target completely and lodges itself 10 inches into the wall. Even though he's missed the target, the Careers are whispering and I can tell they're impressed by Cayton's strength. The trainer then takes us over to a life sized dummy with all the features of a normal person. He hands me a dozen throwing knives and stands back. Ah, knives are easy. They're six times lighter than an axe so its much easier to throw and aim. I decide to have fun with this dummy since our tactic has already been blown. I throw a knife in each eye, a knife in each nostril, one in its mouth, another in the throat and six in the heart. I see a lone axe lying on the floor so I pick it up and fling it at the dummy's head for a dramatic effect. It sticks in halfway through the head and stays there. All six knives I threw at the heart landed in the exact same spot so when I pull them out, there is this massive gaping hole the size of a fist in its chest. The boy and girl from 2 look really impressed so I smirk and go back to Cayton. Let them be jealous. The trainer replaces the dummy since I practically destroyed it and lets Cayton throw. His knives penetrate right through the dummy but land in odd places. A few land on the shoulders, a couple in the torso, a few in the legs and one in the left foot. The girl from 4 is watching and rolls her eyes. She takes her turn and does no better than Cayton did. I wonder why she rolled her eyes for. Stuck up girl.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
Wow. I've underestimated Tamika's accuracy by heaps. She cracked a metal target in half with an axe from 15 metres and played with the knife throwing dummy by throwing knives in all its facial features and six in exactly the same spot in the heart. She even cracked open the dummy's head with an axe. I've only glanced at the Careers once and I can already tell they're impressed. I heard them whispering about maybe considering Tamika to join the Career group. After the girl from 4 has had her turn with the knives, Tamika has another go and is using 34 knives to attack the poor dummy's head. I roll my eyes and literally drag her over to the combat station. 'Awww. Spoil sport. I was having fun back there.' Tamika whined. 'I can tell. You've done enough destruction today. Time for some combat training.' I replied. We got two training partners and Tamika wasted no time getting started. She ducked and leapt, dodging all the opponent's attacks and when he grew tired, she put in punches and kicks to his gut, head and knees. In a matter of time, she has him pinned on the ground holding a plastic knife above his chest. It's my turn now. I face my opponent and give him a punch to the temple. He dodges and ducks under my arm. It's a move that Tamika always does and I know exactly how to use it to my advantage. As he ducks under my arm. I twist around and grab his head in a headlock in the crook of my elbow. I flip him over onto the ground and hold my plastic knife above his chest. I grin to myself. I won! I run over to Tamika and give her a hi-five. Antonio comes over to us with a huge smile on his face. 'Well you two, with your skill and agility, I don't think we have anything to teach you! But Cayton, we're going to improve your aim. Tamika, feel free to roam around. Unfortunately, we're running short on dummies today so we can't let you ruin another one.' He grins at her. 'We'll have stocked up tomorrow so you can destroy as many dummies as you like from tomorrow onwards!' He gives Tamika another toothy grin and heads off with me to the knife throwing station.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
Now that's what I call fun. I've impressed the Careers, destroyed two dummies, defeated someone in combat and received praise from Antonio. I'm off to a good start today. I decide to learn some other skills. I head over to the fire making station and the trainer, Imogen, asks me if I've had any experience with fires. I have because in the winter, if I'm up in the early hours of the morning in the woods, it's still dark so I have to light a fire to be able to see. I tell Imogen yes. 'In that case, we'll start with a more challenging fire.' Imogen tells me. She hands me damp wood, pine cone thread, dried leaves and a lighter. 'Make a fire out of these materials.' she instructs me. I know from experience that it's pretty hard to make a fire out of damp wood. So I rub the dried leaves over the wood logs to get some of the moisture out. When I'm satisfied, I arrange the wood in a pile and scatter the dried leaves on top. I place the pine cone thread on the top and scatter more dried leaves on top. I turn on the lighter and lower it to the pine cone thread. It lights up with a blaze and I step back. I blow on the fire to coax a bigger flame out of it then look at Imogen. 'Well. That's impressive. I've never seen anyone try and rub the dried leaves on the damp wood before! Since that was too easy for you, I'll give you harder materials to work with.' Imogen gives me fibered wood chips with fiber fraying off the sides, a few ice cubes, a tub of glue, a container and a box of matches. 'Just for your information, these fibered wood chips aren't going to give a blaze even if you drop a match into them. You've got to find another way.' she winks and sits back. First, I drop all the fibered wood chips into the container. I use a match to melt the ice cubes and I collect the water in the same container. I then tip the whole tub of glue into the mixture. I use my hands to mix everything together. Once they're all properly mixed together, I take it out of the container and put it on the floor. I then light another match and drop it into the gooey mess infront of me. It lights up with a crackle and continues burning. Imogen puts a hand on my shoulder. 'Tamika, you have mastered these two difficult fires without a flaw. To be honest, I have nothing left to teach you!' My eyes widen in surprise and my jaw drops to the floor. She said she had nothing left to teach me. That's pretty amazing. The end of the four hours in the gym were quickly approaching so I decided to go and watch Cayton throw knives. His aim has gotten significantly better. He now can throw a knife with accuracy to a fatal part of the body. The dummy he has been attacking has many knife slits in its forehead, chest and stomach. 'Great job Cayton!' I say, elbowing him in the ribs. We decide to leave a few minutes early so we take the elevator back up to floor 7. I feel more confident now that I've seen the other tributes train. I'm at about the same level as the Careers which is relieving. I sink down on the couch in front of what the Capitol people call a TV. It's been a huge day.

_**A/N: Wow. This was a long chapter. My favourite part of the Hunger Games is definetely the training so I decided to make the most of it. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. Toodles! XD**_

_**~Celinachan~**_


	7. Chapter 7

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
I was exhausted as we took the elevator back to our apartment. I could tell Tamika felt the same. We opened the apartment door and slumped down in the couch. Aquasia and Katarina enter a few seconds later. I take a shower and am ready for dinner so I go into the dining hall and sit down. I'm the last to arrive. Again. 'So,' begins Katarina. 'How was your first training day?' 'I totally blew it.' Tamika answered. 'I accidentally threw an axe too hard and it split the metal target right in half. Then since I'd already blew our tactic, I didn't bother trying to hide my skills anymore.' Katarina's jaw dropped to the floor. I quickly stepped in. 'It's okay that she showed her skills. I overheard the Careers saying that they might want you to join their group.' I said. Tamika's jaw dropped. Katarina's jaw dropped further. Tamika blinked in surprise. 'The Careers want... me... to join their group? You're joking!' 'Nup. I'm serious.' I said back. Katarina broke out of her trance with a smile. 'Well that's great! A girl from an outlying district joining the Career pack huh? The escorts must have picked soft Careers this year!' she chuckled. Aquasia grinned. 'Looks like I'll have news to tell Caesar to bring up at your interview!' 'You know what?' Tamika asked. 'If I join the Career pack, they're gonna turn on me when there's only us left.' 'Yes, but it's either that or be hunted by them' Katarina explained. 'I'd rather not talk about that.' Tamika shuddered. We ate dinner in silence then returned to our rooms. I stopped Tamika as she was about to go through her bedroom door. 'I know it's a weird question to ask... But are we going to be allies in the Games?' I asked. 'I hope so.' Tamika replied. 'If the Careers ask me to join their pack, I'll tell them I will only join if they accept you too. If not, then we can just work as a pair.' I was surprised at Tamika's loyalty to me. I didn't think she would turn down the offer just to be allies with me. But I was her family I guess. 'Alright then, goodnight!' Tamika called cheerily. 'Goodnight.' I grinned back.

_Tamika Frentle District 7____**  
**_The next few days passed in a blur. In the four days of training, I learned to shoot with a bow and arrow, throw a spear, make a fire and how to tell which berries were edible and which were poisonous. I had pretty much learned everything in the Training Centre which was great. It was the last day and we had our private training sessions with the Gamemakers watching us. I decided to show them what I knew best. I walked into the Training Gym with my head held high and picked up a few axes from the rack provided. I then dragged a dummy into the centre and walked back 15 metres. Turning to the Gamemakers, I announced my name and prepared to throw. I pull my arm back then throw the axe with such force at the dummy's head. Bulls eye! The dummy's head cracks open and the fake blood inside spews everywhere. I then get two axes and hold one in each hand. I twirl them around then throw. Both of them cleanly slice off both arms and they clatter noisily to the floor. Nearly all the Gamemakers are nodding at each other. They look impressed. I decide to make them even more impressed with my axe throwing routine that I always practiced. I tucked two axes into my belt and held one in each hand. I then walked to the edge of the gym and took a deep breath. Without hesitation, I ran full speed ahead and vaulted over the equipment rack which was at least one and a half metres tall. I did a cartwheel followed by a somersault and threw the axe straight at the dummy's heart. It pierced right through and stuck there. I smiled as I ran another ten metres past the dummy, and without turning around, threw the axe backwards. As soon as it left my hand, I knew that it was going to hit the wrong thing. Hard. I turned around and was greeted with a the greatest surprise I could get. My axe had sliced an arrow in half that was sitting on the equipment rack. That covered up my mistake! With my remaining two axes, I flung them into the wall thirty metres away and they stuck with a metallic clang. I turned to the Gamemakers. They were all clapping and nodding. Great. They're impressed. I walked over and pulled my axes out of the wall and replaced them on the equipment rack. 'You may go now, Tamika' the head Gamemaker - Vudonte Spellion said. I gave them a sweet smile and left the room.

_Cayton Frentle District 7 __**  
**_'Good luck!' I said to Tamika as she left the waiting area. After about fifteen minutes, my name was announced through the speakers. I sighed and got up. I had decided to show off my strength to the Gamemakers. I walked in and planted a dummy in the centre of the gym. I then picked up a heavy ball and threw it at the dummy's head. It was a clean throw and it broke the dummy's head off its body. I sighed in relief. Dragging in another dummy into the centre of the room, I picked up a few throwing knives on the way. I planted the dummy down firmly and stepped back. I remembered Antonio's instructions. 'Aim slightly above your target' he always told me. I closed one eye and locked my other eye on the dummy' heart. I closed my eyes as the knife left my hand. I heard a dull impact but only opened my eyes when I heard the Gamemakers clapping. Instead of hitting the heart, I had thrown the knife on an angle - causing it to slice off the dummy's head. Again. After that, I just kept aiming for the heart and hoping that I'd get a hit. And all of them did. 'Alright Cayton, you may go.' the head Gamemaker said. I left the room with a mad grin on my face. I walked into the elevator and pressed the number 7 that was embossed into the wall. I found Tamika sitting in the entertainment room with Aquasia and Katarina. 'Alright. How did your sessions go?' Katarina asked. 'Mine went great!' Tamika said excitedly. I destroyed a couple of dummies with my axes. Oh, and I also split an arrow in half too.' 'Great!' Katarina smiled. 'How about you Cayton?' 'Oh, mine went pretty good as well,' I replied. 'I also destroyed a couple of dummies with knives and axes. And I took off one of their heads with a spiky club head.' Katarina laughed. 'Impressive!'

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
We sat in front of the television and waited for the training scores to come up. Soon enough, Caesar Flickerman's familiar face filled the screen. 'Tonight, we will be broadcasting the training session scores! Let's get started right away! Girls will be said before the boys in every district. From District 1, Blaze, with a score of 9. Glint, with a score of 10. From District 2, Veronica, with a score of 11. Jared, with a score of 10... From District 4, Eloise, with a score of 6. Malcolm, with a score of 10... From District 7, the two Frentle cousins, Tamika, with a high score of 11. Cayton, with a score of 9. From District 8, Reena with a score of 8... From District 12, Alicia, with a score of 7. Stephen, with a score of 9.' 'Well done you two!' Katarina cried. '9 and 11, wonderful scores! Now go get some sleep we've got a big day tomorrow.'

_A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I accidentally wrote the interview chapter -then realized I forgot about the training chapter. But you get a reward. The next chapter will be coming very soon!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I woke up this morning with Aquasia tugging on my foot. 'Today's a big day! The interviews are tonight so we will be doing lots and lots of preparation today!' she squealed. I sat up with sleep in my eyes and ran a hand through my tangled hair. Good luck to the prep team for getting it untangled. I went into the bathroom and did all the necessary things that you did in the morning. When I looked presentable, I walked into the dining hall. 'Okay you two, as you know, the interviews are tonight. As soon as we finish breakfast, one of you will have four hours of preparation with me and the other one with Katarina. After that, we'll swap. When we're finished with all of that, the prep teams are going to come in and get you ready for tonight. Tamika, you're with me first. Cayton, you're with Katarina. I followed Aquasia into my bedroom and she made me put on 7" heels and a long robe. 'Obviously the shoes you wear on the night arent going to be as high as these but we'd better practice in these just in case.' Aquasia said with a grin. 'Now walk down the hallway and fetch me a glass of water.' she commanded. I stood up and walked at the speed of snail to the door. This was way harder than it looked. The way Aquasia did it made it look so easy. Pfft. I took a slow step back and opened the door. I wobbled around on the balls of my feet as I took midgy steps to the bathroom. I could hear Aquasia quietly following behind me whereas I was clomping noisily. Finally I reached the bathroom. I grabbed a glass from the shelf and filled with water. I turned around to go... And I tripped over the hem of the gown. Aquasia was there in a second and caught me just before I hit the floor. 'I'll never be able to walk in these!' I wailed. 'Oh don't worry, you'll be fine in time for tonight.' Aquasia reassured me. We practiced so many times that I felt like my legs were on fire. After I managed to walk in these hideous shoes, I had to practice my facial expressions. Aquasia would hold up a card and I'd have to mould my face into whatever expression she was holding up. I swear, it was the most boring thing I've ever done. Our four hours were up and I was already exhausted.

I walked into the living room and sat down opposite Katarina. 'Alright. I've decided on a perspective that I want you to play. I think that you should act like you're a sweet girl but knows how to kill. Act innocent but make sure you convince the audience that you can turn evil when you want. Obviously we already have hundreds of sponsors from the train battle, the parade and your top scores, but the interview is what counts the most. Maybe reveal a few secrets but keep some untold. Add a little mystery to your interview so the audience will want to know more. Possibly a bit of aggressiveness. Let's try.' Katarina asked me a few questions and wanted me to answer in 'character'. I kept a sly smile on my face but answered with confidence. For some of the questions, I snapped the answer back. 'Great!' Katarina smiled. 'That'll be your 'stage persona'. Remember, the audience loves you already.'

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
My four hours with Katarina went quickly. We decided on a mysterious persona for me. I was glad we chose that. After all, it was similar to my normal personality. Katarina asked me a few questions and I answered mysteriously but kept some things secret. 'That's good. I think this persona suits you!' Katarina commented. As soon as I left the room, I sighed. Aquasia time. Better be prepared. I walked in and sat down with her. 'Okay Cayton! I don't really need to teach you how to walk in heels because you're not a girl. I had to teach Tamika and let's just say it took a while. For now, I'm going to teach you to smile. Smile normally for me.' I smiled like I would and Aquasia used her cold fingers to correct my smiling position. I felt like a piece of putty. Her long sharp nails dug into my skin but finally she was done. 'Yes. That's how you should smile. Now I'm going to ask you questions and you have to either start with a smile, end with a smile or say it while smiling.' I managed to smile 'correctly' throughout the whole session. 'Now Cayton, we're done. Just remember to smile correctly and put on your 'stage character' that Katarina chose. Now your prep teams will be here soon and will get you ready for tonight! Good luck!' Then Aquasia left the room.

A few minutes later, Aee, Bee and Cee rushed in with a suit bag and heaps of make up. Bee powdered my face with some strange smelling stuff then excentuated my cheekbones with dark shadows underneath them. Cee then did my eyes and lips and styled my hair with heaps of gel. I wondered if I looked like a regular human being or not. I hope I did. Aee came over to me and said, 'Cayton, in this bag is your interview night suit. Take it out and put it on.' I took the suit out of the bag and stared at it in amazement. It was a silken white suit with swirling green patterns down the arms and legs. The shirt was crisp and white and was accompanied with a pale green tie with the same swirling green patterns on it. To add to it, there was a pair of white leather shoes covered in shining glaze. I never expected this. I slipped it on and my prep team cheered in glee. 'You look great!' Bee commented. My stylist, Anna came in and smiled. 'You look amazing, Cayton.' Tamika is nearly ready so you both can go up to the stage soon.' I shivered in nervousness.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
Dee, Eee and Fee came in with a long dress bag draped over their shoulders. Fee made me lie down and plucked any unnecessary bits of hair off my arms and legs. I yelped in shock as she did that. 'Oops.' Fee apologised. Eee then did my make up. He did my eyes big and dark and made my cheeks and lips pink. Dee came over and used her nimble fingers to style my hair. Similar to my tribute parade hair style, my hair fell in waves down my back but she weaved two bits together and fastened it with a big white and green sparkly bow. After, she sprayed my hair with multicoloured glitter. She then took out my dress and slipped it on. 'Open your eyes Tamika.' I opened them and they almost popped out of my head. It was a floor length, white dress with green swirls all over it. The sleeves flowed as I walked and created a ripple effect. I stepped into my shoes. They were at least 4" lower than the heels Aquasia made me wear. They were white with the same green pattern curving its way around the heel and down to the toe. 'Thankyou Dee!' It's amazing!' I hugged Dee in thanks. Just at that time, Anna walked through the door and staggered back in surprise. 'Wow Tamika. I designed this dress but I didn't know it would look so good on you!' Cayton's wearing a matching suit and he's waiting right outside this door. You can both go up to the stage now.' I walked out of the room and walked with Cayton up to the stage.

Caesar Flickerman took the stage and made his usual introductory remarks. Blaze, the girl from District 1 walked onto stage wearing a silver dress that barely made it onto her thighs and 7" silver heels. Her hair was similar to mine except had a silver bow in it. You could tell her mentor told her to go for the 'innocent' look. Her act was so fake. Like REALLY fake. I bet even that blind boy who lived next door to me in District 7 could tell. She kept battering her eyelids and smiled childishly whenever she spoke. Her three minutes was up and Glint, the boy from her district took the stage. Again, I could tell what his mentor wanted him to do. He was going for the 'strong and arrogant' look and kept his head held high and answered poshly. The two tributes from District 2 acted like violent killing machines. District 4 was also the same. Before I knew it, it was my turn. Cayton gave me a quick hug then I walked on. The crowd cheered as I took a seat beside Caesar. 'So Tamika, how old are you?' he asked. 'I'm thirteen.' I replied sweetly. 'You see, Veronica from District 2 is eighteen and yet you both attained the highest training scores! How did you do it?' he asked again. 'I don't really know.' I started. 'I just performed the best I could in front of the Gamemakers and wished for the best.' 'Well Tamika, your wish definetely came true. Now just before you came on, I saw that cousin of yours, Cayton give you a hug. Are you sure he's only family? Or is he something even more special like a boyf...' He didn't even get a chance to finish before I slapped him right across the face. The crowd gasped in horror. 'HE'S JUST FAMILY!' I screeched at him. 'DON'T YOU EVEN DARE THINK ABOUT THAT!' Caesar cradled his bright red cheek and glared at me. I glared back. 'Well, your time is up. Good luck for tomorrow.' I shot him one last look before I got up and stalked off.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
'Let's welcome Cayton from District 7 to the stage folks!' Caesar announced. I put on a winning smile as I walked on and took my seat. 'Now Cayton,' Caesar started. 'Is what Tamika said true? That you're only family?' I glared at him and said, 'Don't make me slap you again.' The audience oohed and aahed. 'Never mind then.' Caesar said. 'So what is your biggest worry of the Games?' 'Surprisingly, my biggest worry of the Games is not getting killed but waiting to see what will happen. Hopefully we have some nicer Gamemakers than last year.' I replied. The audience laughed. 'And what would you like for the landscape to be?' he asked. 'Personally, I'd like woods with a cool temperature. And lots of ponds and lakes. And maybe something else that will aid my tactics...' I gave a sly smile. 'And what might that tactic be?' Caesar hinted. 'And why would I tell you?' I gave him a look that said _Don't fool around with me biatch. _'And that's time! Thankyou Cayton, from District 7!' The crowd goes wild as I walk off. I find Aquasia and Katarina laughing with Tamika. I start laughing immediately. I loved what Tamika did. Katarina manages to stop laughing for a few seconds and says, 'You two were hilarious! Tamika, you slapped him and Cayton, you were threatening to slap him! I never saw anything that hilarious in my life! We're going to have even more sponsors lined up around the block!' I give Tamika a high-five and we take the elevator back up to our rooms.

_A/N: So did you guys like this chapter? Next chapter will be about the alliances and the STARTING OF THE GAMES! I'M SO EXCITED! Okay, I'll stop spazzing out. Next chapter will be posted either tomorrow or the next day._


	9. Chapter 9

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
After a quick dinner and shower, I got into bed because I wanted to get as much rest as I could. I was just about to get some sleep when there was a knock on my door. 'What do you want?' I growled as I opened the door. Behind stood Veronica, the girl from District 2 who also got an 11. 'We'd like you to join our Career Alliance.' she said. 'Okay, but only if Cayton can come too.' I say back. 'That's fine. He's strong enough to join our alliance too. I was going to ask him after I came to you. So what weapons do you need? I'm collecting a list so in the bloodbath, I can gather all the weapons each of us needs. By the way, Our alliance is consisting of Districts 1, 2, 4 and you two. So that's Blaze, Glint, myself, Jared, Eloise, Malcolm, you and Cayton. I assume you know what happens in the Career Alliance. We hunt out other tributes and when it's only us left, we give each other one day to hide and the Games will continue as normal.' Veronica explained. 'Well I mainly use axes and throwing knives but I'm not too bad at using a bow an arrow.' I replied. 'Alright, well I'll get you some axes and knives because Eloise uses a bow and arrow. She's not the best at throwing knives. I saw you roll your eyes at her on the first day of training.' Veronica laughed. 'I also saw you diminishing the Capitol's supply of target dummies. You've got good accuracy. Anyone who is battling you should watch out. Jeez. I can't believe I said that. I'm giving credit to a 13 year old who got the same score as me. I should watch out.' Veronica mused. 'Don't worry, I could get used to it.' I laughed. 'Let's go tell Cayton.' We walked down the hall together until we reached Cayton's room. I ran up to his bed and bounced on it to wake him up. 'Whazzz going on?' Cayton murmured groggily. 'Veronica's here and she wants you to join our Career Alliance.' I explained. 'Really?' Cayton asked suddenly sitting up. 'Yeah so we'll all be protecting each other in the bloodbath tomorrow.' I reply. 'Oh okay. I'd better get back to sleep.' Cayton says back. 'Goodnight!' I say cheerily as I bound out the door followed by Veronica. Tomorrow we would be in the arena. I'd better get as much sleep as I can.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
Katarina shakes me awake and tells me to get ready and meet in the dining room once I'm done. I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth and get dressed in the outfit that was slung over my bedpost. It's simple black training t-shirt and pants. I put them on and go to the dining room. Tamika, Aquasia, Katarina and I sit down and discuss strategy. 'Okay guys,' Katarina says. 'Once the gong sounds, quickly run to the Cornucopia and put yourself in a good position and grab a weapon. Because you both are part of the Career Alliance, you have to fight. You can't just grab a pack and run off. The Careers always end the bloodbath so at the end, team up, make or find shelter and food. Water will be the most vital thing in the Games.' After Katarina says this, we eat our breakfast and make our way to where the airship awaits to take us to the arena. We say goodbye to Katarina here. She'll be organising our sponsors during the Games. We give her hugs and then climb onto the airship. We're injected with a tracker into our forearm. It's a massive needle and hurt like hell when it went in. The lights go on and we take flight. Two hours later, the windows black out and we land.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I walked into my underground chamber which was often referred to as 'The Stockyard' in District 7. Anna followed me and pulled an outfit off the rack in the middle of the room. 'This is what you will be wearing when you go into the arena.' Anna said. The outfit consisted of a white singlet, blue fleece top, a light jacket, heavy parker and long blue track pants. The shoes have rubber soles with grips on the bottom of them. I put it on and Anna handed me a small metal banded ring. 'Cayton told me to give it to you. It's a family heirloom.' Anna explained. I slid it onto my index finger and then looked up at Anna with tears in my eyes. 'I'm so scared Anna.' My lip trembled as I spoke. She walked over and embraced me in a warm hug. 'You will be fine Tamika.' Anna reasured me. 'You have the Careers to protect you since you are teaming up with them.' 'But what happens when there's only us left?' I ask helplessly. 'I don't know Tamika. I really don't know. I'm sorry you had to be put through this.' Anna releases me as a female voice says '30 seconds till launch.' A tear escapes from my closed eylids as I walk to the launch tube. I step in and Anna blows me a kiss of farewell just as the glass closes. I know that these could possibly be the last moments of my life.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
I walk into 'The Stockyard' with Aquasia on my tail. She helps me get dressed in this year's tribute outfit and slips my family ring on my finger. I sit down and space out into my own little world until a female voice tells to prepare for launch. Aquasia gives me a quick hug and I walk slowly to the launch tube. The glass closes and the tube rises. I am surrounded by darkness then am blinded by a shining surface on the ground that reflects the sun.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
The tube rises and I immediately shield my eyes from the bright glare of the sun. Once my eyes adjust, I catch Veronica's eye and she winks at me. It is only then that I realize where we are. We are in an environment that is completely water and surrounded by polar ice caps. I'm so glad that I know how to swim. Lucky for Cayton too. The Cornucopia sits on top of a massive ice glacier in the middle of us. Suddenly, Claudius Templesmith's voice booms throughout the arena. 'Ladies and gentlemen, let the 23rd Hunger Games begin!' I now have one minute before the gong sounds. My eye locks on a large metal axe lying on top of a green backpack. I gesture to the axe with my eyes at Veronica. She nods back. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the gong sounds. I straight away dive into the freezing cold water and swim as fast as I can to the Cornucopia. I am running towards the axe but Malcolm, the boy from District 4 grabs it first. 'Grab that.' he says, pointing to a spiky mace that is lying a few metres away. I take it just as the boy from District 10 is running towards me with a machete in his hand. I swing my mace at his machete and it breaks in half. Weaponless, he ducks my mace and turns to run, but I hook my arm around his torso and smash my mace into his rib cage. I pick him up and fling him into the water. I can see the girl from District 5 holding Cayton in a headlock 25 metres away. Desperate, I reach down to the floor and grasp half of the District 10 male's machete. Good enough. I take aim in a split second and throw it at the girl's neck. It pierces right through and she drops to the floor gurgling blood. Cayton staggers up short of breath and looks at me. I wink and he mouths 'Thanks'. Suddenly, someone grabs me from behind and hits me in the head. With no other choice, I pick up a stick from the ground and jam it up my attacker's nose. It works. He falls backwards and I kick him into the water as well. I whip around and find Veronica losing a battle against two tributes. I yell at Cayton and run straight at him. At the last second, I flip and vault off his shoulders, grabbing his knife at the same time. I throw the mace at one attacker's chest and land on the other attacker's shoulders. I jam the knife into her head and jump down just as she falls to the floor. 'Wow. Tamika, you just saved my life. I owe you.' I look around for anymore tributes. There are none. All of them are either dead or have run away. Ten cannons sound. We are the only people left at the Cornucopia. Blaze, the girl from District 1 and I swim out and bring back branches and leaves to make a shelter. After, we go hunt meat to eat and skin. Blaze is friendly. We talk about our districts while we hunt. Blaze tells me that Veronica had bad luck because she got reaped along with Jared who is her boyfriend from District 2. Jared, Malcolm and Cayton start building the shelter. I learn from Malcolm that Eloise, his district partner and Glint from District 1 died at the bloodbath. That left four Careers plus Cayton and me. Veronica is sorting out the supplies and taking the remainders out of the Cornucopia. Once Jared, Malcolm and Cayton finish the shelter, Blaze and I arrange the skins on top of the branches and cook the food. Together, we have a snow leopard, three woodpeckers and a deer. Should be enough to feed six.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
The bloodbath is finally over. Tamika saved my skin and Veronica's as well. We get together with the other Careers and set up for the night. Blaze and Tamika go and hunt and bring back branches for the shelter. I help build it along with Jared and Malcolm. Once the food is cooked, we eat it inside our shelter and get aquainted to one another. We're sitting in a tight circle around the fire. Halfway through our conversations, Veronica and Tamika walk out through the drapes. I can hear them speaking if I listen intently. I hear Tamika saying, 'If we are going to leave tonight, we're going to need something to protect our shelter.' 'Well I know a few basic riggs and traps' Veronica says back. 'I know just the trap' Tamika says with a grin. Their footsteps retreat into the icy trees and then there is silent. Blaze, Jared, Malcolm and I are all trying to listen to them at this point. They come back, drop something on the ground then return inside the shelter holding a bunch of twigs. Tamika says, 'I'm gonna need all your help. If we're going to hunt tributes tonight, we need to leave our shelter. To make sure nobody steals anything, we're going to set up a trap. Everybody get a stick from me and Veronica.' We all get up and get a stick. 'Okay,' Veronica continues. 'We need to dig a circle around our shelter about one foot deep.' We get axes and knives to help us from the store Veronica was sorting out earlier. We then go outside and start digging. In about ten minutes, we have a reasonable circle around our shelter. 'Now, ignite your sticks and create small fires in the hole you have just made.' Tamika says. We all do as told and we soon have twenty fires blazing in a circle. Veronica then goes inside and gets a coil of copper wire and hands it to Tamika. She gets to work using two twigs to lay the wire on the fires in a loop. 'Anyone who steps on this or is half a metre away will be electrocuted once I connect the wire.' Tamika explains. She drops the wire and leaps back. The circuit sparks and glows red. 'Okay, grab your weapons and do a massive leap over this circuit. Like this.' Veronica says. She picks up a few knives and does a two metre leap over the wire. We follow in suit and we continue off into the trees. I carry my axe over my shoulder as we walk off. Soon enough, Jared gives a call and we run over to him. He's holding a small girl in a headlock and she is screaming and kicking. It's the small girl from District 8. 'Should I do the honours?' He asks. 'Or Veronica, do you want to do it love?' 'Nah. You can do it.' She says with a smile. I wince as he jabs his spear into her chest. The cannon goes off immediately. We continue off into the trees for about two more hours without encountering anyone. 'Let's go back.' Blaze suggests. 'I agree.' I say in reply. 'Yeah let's go back'.' Veronica says in confirmation. We all trudge back towards our camp when another cannon sounds. I whip around expecting one of our group to be dead on the floor. But no-one is. I suspect a fight has gone off in another part of the arena. We continue back to our camp. Tamika runs ahead to scout the area for any tributes. 'Guys! Look at this!' We rush over to find the body of the boy from District 6 that has been electrocuted by Tamika and Veronica's trap. 'Good work guys!' Malcolm calls from the back of our group. We leap over the wire and sit outside our shelter. The anthem plays and the seal appears in the sky. There were twelve tributes who died today. The first one to appear is Glint from District 1. Blaze hangs her head and looks down at the ground. Next is the girl from District 3, Eloise from 4. The girl from 5 that Tamika killed. Boy from 6. Both from 8, both from 9. Boy from 10, boy from 11 and girl from 12. The seal reappears then disappears. Malcolm and Blaze have both lost their district partners already.I'm lucky that Tamika's still here. Exhausted, we all go back into the shelter leaving Jared as guard. I fall asleep with Tamika at my side.

_A/N: The Games have started guys! Things are going to get interesting... By the way, just to clarify, there is nothing going on between Cayton and Tamika - even though they're not cousins. The only relationship is between Veronica and Jared. THAT'S IT. Okay, just to clarify and avoid awkward questions. Next chappie is coming soon! Comments and reviews are welcome!_

_~Celinachan_


	10. Chapter 10

_Veronica Mathers District 2_  
I am the first to wake up. I sit up and find that my skin is hot and I have perspiration on my brow. I wake Jared up by giving him a kiss and we head outside. The heat is so intense that I go dizzy instantly. I look down and find that I am standing on an enormous sand dune. Thankfully, our wire protection barrier is still there. We will need water today. That will be our first priority. We run back into the shelter and tell everybody the news. Everyone looks panicked except Tamika and Cayton. 'What's so hard about finding water in a desert?' she says. 'Well, if you can see, there's nothing around here except sand and the occasional cactus.' Jared replies. I nod in agreement. 'Yeah well where do you think the cactuses get their water from? The moon?' she retorts. 'Anyway, we're going off to find some so whether you come or not, good luck with finding water.' Jared finishes as he stalks out of the shelter. All of us except Tamika and Cayton follow. Jared takes the lead and we walk down the sand dunes in the melting sun. Our weapons are tucked into our belts incase we encounter any danger. I'm sweating already. If we don't find water soon, we're as good as dead. We don't come across any tributes for about two kilometres. 'Let's rest. We're all tired and we'd better save our energy.' You can tell that Blaze and Malcolm were waiting for me to say that for the past ten minutes. They drop to the floor as if they don't have an ounce of energy left in them. I see Blaze look up at the sky searching for clouds but the sky is completely blue.

Three hours later, we're all parched and haven't found any water. I swear we've walked around the whole arena twice. Discouraged, we walk back to the shelter and find Tamika and Cayton gulping down canteens of water with a grin on their faces. 'Any luck?' Cayton asks. I roll my eyes. 'Care to share where you found that?' I ask. 'Yeah. You're standing on it.' he replies wearing a smug look. 'I'm sorry, I don't understand riddles. If you don't tell us where you got that damn water, this knife will be in your head.' Malcolm threatens. Tamika and Cayton laugh again. 'Are you that stupid?' Tamika asks. 'Cayton just said you're standing on it. Dig!' We all go outside and before long, we have five large pools of water seeping up through the ground. Blaze sighs in disbelief. We walked at least twenty five kilometres today and the water was right here. That girl is smarter than she looks. I can just imagine the whole Capitol laughing at us. Well there goes a few sponsors for us. We come back inside and just as the water is about to roll into my mouth, Tamika says, 'You really are stupid. You walk twenty five kilometres around the arena and decide to be satisfied with polluted and sandy water that could make you sick in ten minutes. There's a reason for iodine you know.' she tosses us the bottle. 'Two and half drops then wait half an hour' she says. I drop two and a half drops into my canteen and sit back and wait. Half an hour later, we're all glugging down canteens of water and preparing more. Suddenly, three parachutes land with a thud outside our tent. 'I'll get it.' Blaze says. On each of them there is a note that says, 'Originally for District 7, but since you all found water, you can share it.' With a yellow smiley at the end. The Capitol is teasing us already. We tear into the packages and find rolls of bread, jam and butter, steaming hot stew, crisp fruit and icy cold lemonade. 'As much as I hate to say, but I guess we have to thank Tamika and Cayton for the water and food.' I say with a sigh. Those two may have had a joke with us today but they know a lot about survival. Without them, we'd probably all be dying of thirst and starvation. We dig in and all finish with a large belch with no-one to chastise us for. 'Come on, let's go out and watch which tributes died today.' Blaze suggests. 'Okay.' Cayton says in reply. We follow Blaze out of our shelter and sit on the sand that has become cooler compared to what it was earlier today. The Capitol anthem plays and the seal appears in the sky. The only tribute that appears is the girl from District 11. The seal reappears and the sky goes black filled with stars. 'Did you kill her?' Tamika asks. 'No.' Malcolm says. 'Well if you guys didn't kill her on your search for water, then that means that someone else is injured. That girl from 11 was tall. I don't think she could have gone down without a fight. She got a 10 in training.' Tamika replies. 'Okay,' I say. 'Let's make a list of who's left. 'Got it.' Cayton says while getting up. 'I'm going to fetch a cactus.' 'Pfft. You can't take a cactus out of the ground!' Jared exclaims. 'Watch and learn. You don't need to take the whole cactus out of the ground. It's called cutting it down.' He turns and leaves. Blaze snorts with laughter at Jared's stupidity, trying to keep it in. He may be my boyfriend, but I chose him for his looks, not his academic skills. Five minutes later, Cayton returns with a whole cactus slung over his shoulder. He cuts it up into squares and skins off the needles. 'Okay, who wants to write?' he asks. 'I'll do it.' Blaze volunteers. She takes her blade out of her belt and scratches into the cactus flesh.

District 1 - Girl  
District 2 - Girl & Boy  
District 3 - Boy  
District 4 - Boy  
District 5 - Boy  
District 6 - Girl  
District 7 - Girl & Boy  
District 10 - Girl  
District 12 - Boy

'Um... Blaze, how can you remember all that?' Jared asks. 'What, you doubting my abilities?' she retorts. 'No. Just, I can only remember the people in the Career group. How can you remember EVERYONE else?' he asks. 'I have a good memory. Deal with it.' Blaze spits out. She glares at him then gives me the map. 'Well Cayton... thanks for getting this but its cactus flesh but it's going to dry and shrivel up overnight.' I say. 'Well, I'm not that stupid. Cactus preserves in any sort of weather.' He sighs then gets up. 'I'm going to sleep. Anyone care to join me?' he asks. 'Yeah.' We all say in unison. We trudge back into our shelter and settle down. 'I wonder what the environment will be like tomorrow!' Tamika says with a grin. 'KK, goodnight guys.' I call. I blow out the fire and go to sleep.

_A/N: Day 2 of the Games! I loved making fun of Blaze, Veronica, Jared and Malcolm. To be honest, my idea of a 'Career' is an arrogant, stuck up excuse of a human being. I've never really liked them so I had fun making fun of them! Day 3 of the Games will be coming shortly! Toodles!_

_~Celinachan_


	11. Chapter 11

_Blaze Cedheart District 1_  
With a yawn, I sit up and survey my surroundings. Veronica is just waking up and still half asleep. I decide to go outside and see what the environment is today. I walk outside and get the shock of my life. There is quicksand. Everywhere. And we're about to sink in about two minutes because the quicksand is getting closer. I shove everyone awake along with Veronica and we devise a plan. We grab all our supplies and stuff them in the backpacks provided at the Cornucopia. Because Tamika is the only one who can climb trees, she swiftly climbs up and ties long jungle vines to the branches that hang overhead. She jumps down and tells us to swing across the patch of quicksand to the hill on the other side. Without a moment to spare, we all make it across. But then Malcolm trips over his vine and falls 300ft down the hill. And lands in the quicksand. He gets sucked in and the cannon sounds almost immediately. We stand looking down at the quicksand for a few minutes and Cayton is the one who breaks the silence. 'So, how are we going to get out of this quicksand mess?' he asks. 'Well the only way is to get in the trees.' Tamika says matter-of-factly. 'Yeah well not all of us can climb trees.' Veronica objects. 'Well, you either try and live or stand here and die. Take your pick.' Tamika says just before she climbs effortly up the tree. 'Just find little grooves to place your hand and feet. Here, I'll come down and help you.' Jared goes up first. He's strong so he can help to pull us up when we're climbing. 'Okay Jared, see that black bump? Put your right hand there and put your left hand in that groove there. Get a grip and swing your legs up onto that branch.' Jared does as he's told and manages to get on the branch. Fron there, the branches are close so he keeps climbing until he reaches the top. 'Stay there until Veronica gets up! After, move to the next tree. It's not going to hold all our weight!' Tamika yells up to Jared. 'Okay Veronica, go.' she orders. After her, it's my turn then Cayton and finally Tamika. The five of us are spaced out along three connected trees. There's a faint tinkling sound coming from further up the tree. Tamika climbs up and find six parachutes. Five with 'quicksand proof' floating boards and the other with a basket of food. She brings them back down and we tuck into the food. It's enough with one mouth gone. When we're done, Tamika asks, 'Okay, who's in for a ride?' 'What do you mean?' Jared replies. 'Well, why else would our sponsors send us quicksand proof floating boards? There was even a note saying that it's impossible to fall off because there's some sort of gravity and weight detector in them.' she replies. 'Let's go!' We each grab a board and drop down from the trees. '1, 2, 3!' I yell. We push off the hill and we slide down our boards 300ft down the hill. Looks like there's some other advantage of being in the Games. We skid to a stop at the base of a clump of trees. 'Guys, I think we'd better not build another shelter today. It's not worth the effort. There could be a deluge of water tomorrow and our shelter will be wrecked. Let's just spend the night in the trees.' Veronica states. 'I'M NOT SLEEPING 25FT ABOVE THE GROUND!' Jared screeches. 'It'll be fine. I'll be with you.' Veronica comforts him. He finally agrees and we get to work trying to create some sort of sleeping place in the trees. Tamika just scoots up a large branch and lies back on it looking at the sky. 'Let's take turns going down. We don't want to lose where we just set up.' I say cautiously. 'I'll take the first trip. Tamika, let's go.' We get our boards and hold them in front of us, at the same time watching for random camouflaged patches of quicksand. When we reach a clearing and we're sure it's firm ground, we start to hunt. I throw my spear at a flock of birds and it spears three woodpeckers in one go. Great, some meat at last. Around fifteen minutes later, Tamika comes back stumbling into the clearing with her hands loaded with meat and some random green plants I don't recognise. With our arms full, we make our way back to where Veronica, Jared and Cayton are waiting. 'Come down! We're going to cook the food now!' Tamika shouts up. 'Kay! We're coming!' Cayton yells down. They slide down to join us and we make a fire. Tamika fills an iron pot full of water and puts it on top of the fire. She then adds the green plants she got earlier. 'Wait... what are they? How do we know they're safe?' I ask. 'They're used for starch. I always use these in District 7. It's what we use to make stew or sticky things.' she laughs. 'Oh.' I say in realisation. Soon after the adds the plants, the water starts to thicken up and she adds the meat that she has cut up into cubes. When the meat has finished cooking, we have a sort of forest goat, squirrel, woodpecker, deer and falcon stew. It's delicious. Tamika definetely knows how to cook. Jared even licks the pot clean to emphasise this point. We finish off the fruit from last night that had gotten a bit warm from today. 'Okay, let's wait half an hour to digest our food then we'll go and hunt tributes.' Veronica says. Jared gives a large belch. Veronica shoots daggers in his direction.

Half an hour later, we feel a lot better so we collect our weapons and head off to hunt tributes. We travel about 500 metres when we realise that today isn't the best day to hunt tributes. We can't move fast. We keep having to test whether the floor in front of us when Tamika has an idea. 'Just slide! Like this!' she puts the board on the ground and plants her foot on it. She pushes off and she's zooming off at around 20kms an hour. 'Well why didn't she think of this earlier...' Jared mutters before he pushes off the ground and is following Tamika's lead. We all follow in suit. We 'slide' across the ground for an hour before we stop. 'Tamika, what happens if we stop right on a patch of quicksand?' Veronica asks. 'You won't fall. As I mentioned before we slid down the hill, they have gravity and weight detectors so it's practically impossible to step or fall off them unless you stop it completely. If not, it's just going to move under your weight so you're never going to fall off.' she explains. 'Hmm. Smart girl.' I think. Even though we've been sliding at 20km/h, we haven't encountered any tributes. Either we've been moving too fast or they're hiding well. Next time we have solid ground, we'll actually look thoroughly. 'Guys, let's go back' Jared says tiredly. 'Dammit!' How are we meant to know where our trees are?' I say in a panick. Tamika just laughs. Unless you guys haven't noticed, I've been dropping pebbles this whole time. Plus I put a massive pieces of forest goat that I dyed bright green from a berry in the forest on each of the trees that we're staying at.' she says laughing. Cayton starts laughing too. 'I was waiting to see when you would notice.' he says with a smile appearing on his face. Before long, we're all laughing and make our way back to our trees and Tamika is right. There are three massive bright green pieces of forest goat hanging off branches on our trees. 'Dinner is forest goat steak!' she announces proudly. 'You mean we're going to hunt again?' I ask. 'Of course not!' she says indignantly. 'We'll cook the pieces I hung on the trees!' 'Yeah, but you coated them in bright green berry juice! They could be poisonous!' I say. 'They're edible. We also have them in District 7. We use them to add colour and flavour to the meal!' Cayton explains. I narrow my eyes. They could be tricking us to eat them and they could be poisonous. 'Oh come on. We're not tricking you. We'll even eat first to prove it.' Tamika says as though she's read my mind. She cooks the forest goat medium rare and she and Cayton take two huge bites out of it. They swallow and lick their lips. 'See? If these were poisonous, I wouldn't have eaten them. Eat up!' Tamika says smugly. There is this delicious fat dripping out of the forest goat steaks that we can't resist them anymore. With a laugh, Veronica, Jared and I grab the remaining steaks and chomp them up. Tamika and Cayton are right. The berries that they coated them with taste delicious with the forest goat. 'Damn girl, you can cook.' Jared compliments. Once we're done, we climb up the trees - with Tamika's assistance, and wait for the fallen tributes to light up the sky. Same as yesterday, there are none. The Capitol citizens must be getting bored. But it's good for us. We got nice Gamemakers this year. I think. The Capitol seal appears again and the anthem ends. 'I'm going to sleep.' I say. I fall asleep immediately.

The next morning, I wake up with the thought that the Capitol citizens must be bored and that there will probably be a new danger in the arena today. I couldn't have been more right. I sit up and am face to face with the biggest lion I have ever seen in my life.

_A/N: Haha! I decided to end this chapter with a cliffhanger! Day 4 is coming soon! At the moment, I don't know how many days the Games will go on for but feel free to leave a suggestion in a comment or review! Toodles!_

_~Celinachan_


	12. Chapter 12

_Blaze Cedheart District 1_  
_How the hell did that stupid lion get up the tree?_ I ask myself. I stab my finger into the lion's eye to make it distracted so we can get away. Instead, it roars so loudly that everyone wakes up with a jump. 'RUN!' I scream. Grabbing what we can, we jump down from the trees and run for our lives. Literally. We've been running as hard as we can for the past twenty minutes and it's clear that we can't keep this up for much longer. Tamika tries throwing knives and axes at the lion but they don't do much damage. This is one strong lion. 'We have no choice but to take to the trees!' Tamika yells. 'This stupid lion can climb trees. We're not going to be any safer up there!' I yell back. Then I remember something about our pet cat, Tori back home in District 1. Cats hate water. Aren't lions cats? 'Follow me! Keep a look out for water of any sort!' I yell. We sprint for another eight minutes until we see the edge of a swamp. Swamps are dangerous. They're thick, sticky and muddy and there are unknown creatures in them. But we have no other choice. 'Get into the swamp!' I yell to everyone. 'No way am I going in there!' Jared holds back. 'Cats hate water. This swamp is the closest to water we can get. We plunge into the swamp and look back at the lion. And it follows us in. Shit! I forgot that this could be a muttation. 'RUN!' Jared screams. We dash out of the swamp but no longer hear the lion following us. We turn around and find Veronica in it's jaws. She's already half dead and there are puncture wounds studding her stomach. Just before the lion makes its last chomp, a black shadow flies down from the sky and plucks the lion out of the swamp. Veronica falls with a splash backwards. Jared immediately runs into the swamp and carries Veronica out. Tamika puts her hand on Veronica's heart. It's beating rapidly which means whatever venom the lion had put into her was taking its toll. Tamika shoves open the first aid kit and pulls out two syringes. One with clear liquid in it and one empty. She jams the one with the clear liquid into Veronica's arm. She plunges the second one near Veronica's heart and slowly pulls on the suction tube. Green and black sticky stuff fills the syringe. She squirts it out into the swamp and repeats the process. Five syringes later, it starts filling up with liquid that is starting to look more like blood. Two more syringes are filled before Tamika stops and covers the syringe wounds on Veronica's chest with some disinfecting cream and band-aids. We watch as Veronica's heart beat slows. A few seconds later, she coughs and her eyes flutter open. 'What... happened?' she asks. Jared who is so happy that tears are running down his cheeks reaches down and gives Veronica the biggest hug possible. 'I'm so happy you're alive. Make sure to thank this little munchkin for saving your life.' He smiles at Tamika with so much gratitude in his eyes. 'Thankyou Tamika. I don't know what I'd do without you.' Veronica says faintly. 'Let's go back to our camp. We don't want to be chased by anymore stupid lions.' I say. 'Great idea.' Cayton sighs as Jared picks Veronica up bridal style. We walk as fast we can back to our camp and get up the trees. It was around midday when we met the lion so it must be around one or two now. 'Tamika and I will go hunt.' I announce and we drop down from the trees. Tamika is still using her axes to hunt. This time, I decide to use a bow and arrow to revise my skills. I personally prefered using a bow and arrow because you have so much more accuracy than a knife or a spear. Looks like Tamika proved that fact wrong. I take aim at some sort of zebra and shoot twice. The first one gets it in the neck and the second one in the eye. Perfect. I pull my arrows out and slit the zebra's neck. Boy, it's heavy. I shoot a couple of birds and wait for Tamika to come back. She comes back holding five birds - one for each of us. 'Hi... do you mind helping me carry this zebra I shot?' I ask. 'What, can't you carry it yourself?' she jokes. 'You try then.' I say teasingly. 'Okay.' she hauls the zebra onto her shoulders and walks normally for about twenty feet. 'You were saying?' she teases. I roll my eyes and laugh as we place all the birds on top of the zebra. We then lift the zebra by the legs and carry it back to where we are camping. We use two wooden stakes and a branch to make a spit and we stuff the branch through the zebra - which we decided to cook whole. The branch snaps under the weight and the fire burns a patch on the zebra's belly. 'Oops.' We say together. We hear laughter coming from up in the trees and we glare at Veronica, Jared and Cayton. 'If you want to laugh, make lunch yourself.' Tamika snaps but you can tell she is smiling. We cut the zebra in half and search for another sturdy branch. I find one and shove it through my half of the zebra. I place it on the wooden stakes and Tamika and I turn it round and round until it's cooked. We repeat with the other half of the zebra. I cook the birds and they smell delicious. They taste delicious too. Once we're stuffed, I suggest that we should go hunt tributes. 'Veronica's not 100% yet.' Jared comprimises. 'Well, one of us could stay and look after Veronica.' I explain. 'Yes, but that means we're going to hunt in a group of three tributes. If we encounter an alliance bigger than us, they have the advantage and we might possibly be killed.' Tamika says. 'Good point.' I smile. 'Let's take a break from it today.' Veronica smiles gladly, glad that she will have four strong healthy people protecting her while she is recovering. For the rest of the afternoon, we hear one cannon, signalling only one death. Must have been a small skirmish between two tributes. By the time night falls, the anthem plays and the boy from District 5's photo shows in the sky. He must have been the tribute who was killed today.

_Keith Redford District 5_  
I was packing up my gear to move on because I heard yells coming from somewhere on my right. They were yelling for each other to run and something about a stupid lion. If there's dangerous creatures about, I'd better be on the watch. As I walk, I make note of my surroundings. The environment seems to be changing everyday. It seems to be an African savannah today. Not that I've ever been there of course. I snack on my fruit and nuts that I found in my backpack that I took from the Cornucopia. It's late afternoon when I hear something. My head whips to the left towards the source of the noise. I put my fruit and nuts back in my pack and take out my knife in case I need to defend myself. I walk cautiously turning my head in every direction. But I'm not prepared for what happens next. I'm hit on the head and grabbed from behind. I'm losing consiousness. If I do, I'm dead for sure. I break out of my trance and push out of my attacker's grip and face him. It's that boy from District 12. He's wielding a 12 inch blade and facing me with a snarl on his face. He leaps at me and I swiftly dodge. I swing my knife and open a gash on his arm. I'm surprised at what little blood comes out. Either he hasn't been drinking water or my cut wasn't big enough. While I'm distracted, he comes at me with his blade. I duck under it just after it nicks my flank. I'm absorbed in this immense pain that makes me see stars. Determined, I come back at him and punch him in the gut. He grabs my hand and flips me onto the ground. I feel something crack. I try to push his hand off but I'm paralysed. I try to speak but my lips don't move. Then I realise. He broke my spine. I see the blade right above my chest before everything starts fading. Just as my world turns black, I hear a cannon. _That's mine,_ I think, my last thought before I die.

_A/N: How did you like this? From the last few chapters, you have probably seen that I am doing parts in different tributes' point of views. If there is a particular tribute you would like me to do a POV of, feel free to message me or leave a comment. I'm sorry if this chapter was bad or boring. I fainted of dehydration today and my brain isn't feeling too well. It was easy for me to write the end of the District 5 male's POV because that's exactly how I felt before I blacked out XD. Anyway, Toodles!_

_~Celinachan_


	13. Chapter 13

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
My lips are cold when I wake up. I sit up and I'm shivering. I tuck a knife into my belt - and that's when I see my hand. The tips of my fingers are a light blue. This shocks me awake and I look around at my surroundings. It's practically a winter wonderland as you might say. Except take out 'wonderland' and put in 'tortureland' instead. There was definetely an avalanche overnight. We're all half covered in snow and shivering even though some of us are still asleep.

_*Flashback*_  
_I remember my first winter that I was allowed out of the house. It was the year before Janita was reaped. She and I built snow men, made angels in the snow and had snow ball fights. We fought so much that we were always covered in snow and dripping wet when we had finished. Cayton sometimes came to join us. The three of us would run through the forests and swing on trees wherever we went. My father always took pictures of these moments without us knowing. He'd snap pictures on my grandfather's old camera. He put all the pictures into a book and he'd add all these small drawings and captions that he made himself. He took it out and showed it to Janita and I when she was reaped. When we came to say goodbye, he opened it and showed us all the pictures of the happy times we had together. 'Give it to Janita so she will have something of us to hold onto.' I said to him. He nodded and handed Janita the book. My father was a great man._  
_*End of Flashback*_

I look around at my allies. Veronica is shivering like crazy and is trying to snuggle into Jared's arm. Blaze opens her eyes and looks at me. 'GAH!' she shouts when she realises she is half buried in snow. That wakes everyone up. 'I thought we spent the night in a tree... how come we are still bured in snow?' Jared asks. 'I think there was an avalanche last night. That would explain the snow covering most of this tree.' I answer. 'Hmm. Well then what can we do today?' he asks. 'Well, I think today we'll have to rely on our sponsors for food. I'm not going out there to hunt. We could get caught in a blizzard.' I say. 'Yeah. I don't really want to get caught in a blizzard either.' Blaze comments. 'So we're relying on sponsors today?' Cayton asks. 'Yeah' we all say in unison. I suppose our mentors took this as a yes because as soon as we said 'yeah', five packages fall from the sky and get wedged in our trees. Each package has a name and we distribute them out. I open mine. Inside is a paper bag and a rectangular gift wrapped in a blue ribbon. I untie the ribbon and take off the wrapping. Inside is the book that my father made and gave to Janita. My eyes brim with tears. My heart stops a beat when I open the cover. There's a note.

_Jared Kingsley District 2_  
I open my package and two things fall out. One is a paper bag and the other is a circular shaped ball wrapped in paper. I tear off the paper and in my hand sits a small globe with little figures of my family contained within it. I shake it around and the little shiny flakes at the bottom rise up and float around. It brings tears to my eyes. It's the globe my mother gave me for my first reaping.

_*Flashback*__  
__'It's your first reaping Jared!' my mother said excitedly. 'When you're eighteen, you're going to be standing on that stage. Today, we're just going to have to wait.' 'But I want to be up there now!' I shouted. 'You're only twelve Jared. You can learn a lot in six years. When you're eighteen, you'll be much quicker and smarter than you are now.' she soothed me. 'Fine' I snapped. 'Here's a little gift for you, to wish you luck when you're older.' she said as she gives me a small crystal ball. As I look inside, I see my parents, my two brothers, my sister and I standing in the middle of the ball. Not really caring about it, I sit it on my window sill and walk out the door.__  
__*End of Flashback*_

I never really cared about the globe when my mother gave it to me. It's only now that I realise what she intended to do with it. I can't help but let my tears fall and splash onto the snow.

_Blaze Cedheart District 1_  
Following everyone else, I open my package. I look at their packages. They're each holding a paper bag and a gift. I find that I am holding those things too. I set the paper bag down and open the gift. As I open the box inside, I think of my family and friends back home. Tears fill my eyes when I lift the lid. A photo of my little sister looks up at me from inside.

_*Flashback*_  
_'Mummy! Where are you going?' I asked in my seven-year-old voice. 'I'm just going to the hospital for a few hours, maybe a day or two.' she replies faintly. 'But WHY?' I pester. 'Don't worry. I'll be bringing a small gift for you when I come back.' she says before stepping into the hospital cart. She comes back the next day with a small bundle in her hands. I rush over and give her a hug. She kisses me on the head and hands me the bundle. I can tell it's delicate so I handle it with care. I sit down on my bed and unwrap the bundle. A small baby with bright blue eyes looks up at me through her dark eyelashes. A little sister! I'm so excited that I'm bursting with joy. I wrap her up again and run into the kitchen with her. 'Mummy! What's her name going to be?' I ask. 'What would you like to call her, since you love her so much?' she asks me. 'Can we call her Cherian?' I ask. 'Cherian... that sounds nice. Cherian Cedheart, welcome to the Cedheart family.' my mother says with a warm smile on her face. I jump with joy that I was the one to choose my baby sister's name.__  
__~Five years later~__  
__I'm kneeling down in front of a stone slab. The slab reads: Cherian Cedheart, Age 5. Died on 28th November 3117. My parents are crying with their hands covering their eyes. I am so sad but tears don't come. My little sister is dead. All because of that stupid cart driver. I was holding her hand as we crossed the road and we forgot to look both ways. A cart was riding full speed towards us. It crashed into us and we were pulled off the road by the school mistress. We were rushed to the hospital and I found out that I had a broken leg and ribs. 'What about my sister?' I asked. 'I'm sorry Blaze.' the nurse said. 'We have organised the funeral for your family since it was a Capitol messenger's fault.' 'SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!' I scream. 'I'm sorry Blaze.' The nurse repeats. I look over at Cherian and cry myself to sleep.__  
__*End of Flashback*_

I bring the photo to my lips and kiss Cherian on the forehead like I did everyday. I bury my face into the snow and that's when all the tears come.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
Like everyone, I recieve a paper bag but instead of a gift, I recieve a letter. It's from Tamika's father.

Dear Cayton,  
I don't know if Tamika has told you this, but I will write it here just in case she hasn't.  
Since you were a baby, you have known Therese as your mother. You also have known me as your uncle and Tamika as your cousin. All this was a lie to keep you safe. Your parents were excecuted by the Capitol when you were a baby. They wanted to kill you too for being what they considered a traitor's son. I was very close with your father and his death hit me hard. He had always been there for me so I decided to do all I could to protect you. I got together with Therese who was another friend of your father and we devised a plan. The plan was that she was going to be your mother and I would be your uncle since she didn't have a child. The lie about your father was that he got lost while travelling. Two years after Therese took you in, my wife gave birth to Tamika. If you were my nephew, she would be your cousin. We played it that way for many years. To make it simple, Cayton, you're not Tamika's cousin. I only told Tamika this after the reaping. If she hasn't told you yet, please don't blame her. She knew it would be a shock to you, even more of a shock than she had. I thought it would be best to tell you this now, whatever will happen during the course of the Games. If you do come back to District 7, I still need you to play along with this act.  
I wish you the best of luck,  
Peter Frentle

I sink down against a tree branch and run my hands through my messy hair. My tears run down my face and onto the snow. I don't know what to do. I don't even know how to react to this.

_Veronica Mathers District 2_  
I take out my paper bag from my package and see a small book at the bottom. I take it out and open the cover. It's my father's photo album. His favourite one with all his favourite photos. The first photo is of my whole family standing on the porch of our house. My parents are smiling happily with their fingers entwined. My brother sits on the step below and I sit next to him. That was the day of my parent's tenth wedding anniversary. I flip over the page and it's a picture of my first kiss with Jared. I remember feeling embarrased since my parents were there taking photos. I smile at the memory. The next page is of my brother blowing out his birthday candles on his 11th birthday. I was nine at the time and wanted to blow the candles out myself. My brother had hit me and I had fallen off my chair onto the floor and broke my nose. My mother rushed me to the hospital and they set the bones in my nose then taped it up. My brother apologised and gave me a hug.

While I was flipping through the photos, I didn't realise the steady stream of tears running down my cheeks. I bite my lip and return the photo album back into the package which I put into my backpack. I hug my knees to my chest and cry into them.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I bring the book closer and read the note. It reads:

Tamika dear,  
I thought this book would bring back memories. I've added photos to it. You are doing so well and I'm proud to call you my daughter. I miss you so much.  
Love Daddy. XOXOXO

My tears start falling and splash onto the note. I quickly wipe them away but they keep falling. I give up trying to wipe them away and open the book. On the first few pages, there are pictures of Janita and me skipping through the woods and swinging on tree branches. The page is decorated with colourful sparkly stickers and the caption reads: 'Janita and Tamika having fun in the woods.' The sight of Janita brings even more tears to my eyes. I miss her so much. She was the best sister anyone could have. The next page has photos of Cayton and I following Janita and trying to build snowmen. Janita has more experience so her snowmen layers are nice and round whereas Cayton and my snowmen are all soggy and melted. Janita came over and helped us fix it. We added stones as the buttons, eyes and mouth. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough money to buy carrots so we just used pine cones instead. Next is a picture of Janita and me making snow angels in the snow. My arms and legs are stretched out in a huge X and we're grinning from ear to ear. The next one is a new addition. Of course this doesn't have Janita in it. She had died in the Games already. I can't look at these photos anymore. I carefully place the book back in the package and curl up in the snow and cry. I don't even bother trying to hide my face. Let the Capitol see. Let the Capitol see what they've done to me.

A/N: I was so close to tears when I was writing this chapter. I thought I would write this chapter so that you have a clearer idea of the other tributes and where they came from. I didn't expect it to turn out so sad though! Was a very emotional part of the Games. But don't worry, next chapter will be more action packed! As usual, comments and reviews are welcome :D

~Celinachan


	14. Chapter 14

_Jared Kingsley District 2_  
Yesterday was emotional. I don't know why our mentors decided to send us gifts from our families. I miss them even more now. Since we were all engrossed in our gifts yesterday, a tribute could have just wandered up and stabbed one of us and we wouldn't have noticed. We have to be extra careful today. I wake up this morning and all the snow is gone. I place my hands on the ground and push myself up. The surface my hands touch his cold and slippery. Our tree has disappeared. There's nothing. It's all just one massive plane of ice. There's nowhere to hide, which is why I can see all the other tributes from where I'm standing. They're specks of colour in the distance. I wake the others up and we look around. It's clear what the Gamemakers want. There hasn't been much excitement in the Games so they want us to fight. 'Get your weapons ready. Unless we want to lose all our sponsors, we have to fight to keep them happy. It's the reason the Gamemakers have cleared everything up.' Tamika says. 'She's right.' says Blaze. 'We need to keep the audience entertained otherwise the Gamemakers will probably pull a nasty trick out of nowhere. Let's go.' We pick up all our weapons and sling our backpacks over our shoulders. There's nothing else to do but go. I see a red blotch in the distance. It must be the girl from 10 because she's the only one that's wearing red. We walk in her direction until she lifts her head and sees us. She gives a high-pitch scream and starts sprinting away. We follow suit and we're definetely faster than her. We surround her from all directions and start closing in like a pack of lions. Blaze pokes the girl with her spear. The girl is pleading for us not to kill her. 'This is the Games. We're meant to kill.' Veronica snarls. We've definetely got her. May as well put on a show for the audience. A second after I think that, I realise that's exactly what she intended for us to do. While we relax our stance a bit, she jumps up and punches Veronica in the face. Her nose starts gushing blood. The girl is quite small but she's strong. Tamika whirls her leg in the air and it makes contact with her shoulder blade. I hear a small pop and she starts screaming in pain. I think Tamika dislocated the girl's shoulder. She pulls a knife out of her belt. Tamika picks up her axe from the ground. The rest of us pick up our weapons as well just for a precaution. The girl swings her knife at Tamika. Tamika blocks it and takes her chance to kick her in the gut. When she's winded, Tamika runs around to her back and pulls her down. She holds her axe to the girl's neck. 'Job well done, Tamika.' Veronica smiles. 'Now who wants to finish her?' I ask. 'Don't finish her yet! We haven't even started the fun!' Blaze says. 'Yes, good point.' Cayton comments. 'Who's next?' I ask. 'I'll go.' Veronica volunteers. Tamika, let her go.' I say. 'Okay, girl, you on the ground, stand up and fight this one here.' Tamika commands. 'No. I'd rather die now that fight again, I've got a twisted shoulder blade thanks to that bitch who gave it to me.' she snarls at Tamika. 'Oh my. I feel flattered.' Tamika mused. 'Get up. Now.' I command. 'No. Are you deaf. I said no.' she replies. 'Okay then.' Blaze steps forward holding her spear in hand. She walks around the girl in a circle. 'You see this spear? It's going to go right through you if you don't stand up right now.' she says. 'I SAID NO.' the girl still says. 'Alright then. I see you're going to be a hard one.' Blaze says while holding up her spear. She digs it into the girl's injured shoulder. 'STAND UP!' Blaze yells. The girl once again, replies 'No.' Blaze digs the spear in further, letting the blood roll out. The girl cries out in pain. She spits a thick wad of blood onto the ice and says, 'I'd rather die with dignity than fight with fools like you.' she taunts. 'Aww. How nice. A little girl trying to protect her dignity. Scared of us are you?' Cayton smirks. Blaze pierces the spear even deeper. 'I could do this all day. We have the time.' Instead of answering, she takes the knife and pierces it into her own heart. The cannon sounds a moment later.

_Cintha Shirl District 10_  
When I woke up, I saw nothing except ice. Just one massive slab of ice that we were all standing on. I could see the other tributes as tiny dots in the distance. That meant they could see me as well. I bent down to pack up my things so I could move away from them. I looked up and a group of Careers were standing roughly 50 yards from me. I immediately hauled up my things and sprinted off. I had a head start but they were bigger and faster than me. They had me surrounded a few mintutes later. A small girl, the one who got the 11 in training started fighting with me. She kicked me in the shoulder blade and she twisted it out of its socket. I screamed in pain, I felt like I would black out. We fought some more until she finally wrestled me to the floor and placed an axe near my neck. A taller girl, the other one who got an 11 came up and said she wanted me to fight me next. What did they think I was? I'm not something you can just come up to and play with. Because of this, I refused to stand up. The girl from District 1 came over and poked a spear into my injured shoulder. Again, the pain was excruciating. I really thought I would black out. I needed to protect my dignity, I couldn't just let them play with me like I was some toy. I decided what I would do. I pulled my knife out of my belt and stabbed myself through the heart. The last thing I heard was the cannon signalling another fallen tribute. _That's me_, I think. That's my cannon.

_Blaze Cedheart District 1_  
Dammit! Why did that damn girl have to go and stab herself? We were having so much fun, giving the audience a good show. She just had to go and wreck it. I sigh and pick up my backpack. 'Where to next?' I ask. 'I can see a couple of dots over there. It's the boys from 3 and 12 by the looks of it. Blue and purple. That's the colour of their jackets. They seem to be allies. We might have to watch out' Veronica says. 'Okay, let's go.' Tamika says bouncing up and down. We trudge off in the direction of the dots. When we're close enough, our suspicions are confirmed. The two boys are allies and are sitting down sorting out their packs. Luckily, we are approaching from behind them. 'On my count, run. We have the element of surprise.' Tamika whispers. '1, 2, 3!' We dash forwards towards them and wield our weapons. I stab one through the heart and Jared chops off the head of the other with his machete. 'What...' I say confused. They're not people. They're straw figures just sitting on the ice. Before I know it, a cannon sounds. Veronica drops to the floor with her throat slit. The boys from 3 and 12 stand before us holding weapons. The boy from 12 rushes at Jared and the one from 3 comes towards Tamika and I. He's tall. He has at least a head and a half on me and more than two heads on Tamika. Even though he's tall, he's slow. Tamika and I are fast so we keep slipping through his knife slices. He growls in frustration. While he does this, Tamika slips behind him and stabs him through the back. He spews blood from his mouth and falls onto the ice. A cannon sounds. The boy from 12 and Jared seem to be even matches. They attack and block but both of them can't seem to find a clean spot to hit. Before I know it, the boy from 12 has Jared in a head lock. He's cutting off his air. Tamika rushes forwards but is beated by Cayton. He's thrown a golden axe into the boy's head, missing Jared's by a millimetre. The cannon sounds again. Jared seems stunned by Cayton's accuracy. The boy's body weight pulls him down and he struggles to get out of his grasp. 'Wow. Thanks Cayton.' Jared says. 'No problem. Anytime.' Cayton replies. I help Jared to his feet and we walk over to Veronica. She's long gone. Her cannon sounded a while ago. Jared stumbles over to her body and picks her up. He buries his face into her shoulder and cries his heart out. When he sits up, the other two bodies have been picked up by the hovercraft already. He kisses Veronica on the forehead then sets her down on the ice. The hovercraft comes and takes her body. We watch as it flies away. Jared gets to his feet and picks up Veronica's pack and his own. We follow suit and walk away from the battle scene. Blood still stains the ice. I shake my head and turn away. Once we reach a spot where we can't see anymore tributes, we settle down and wait for dark to fall. A few parachutes fall from the sky. One has wooden sticks and matches it it. The others have food. I place the wooden sticks on top of one another and throw in a match. It flares up and we gather around it to share the warmth. 'Wait. won't this melt the ice?' Tamika asks. 'I've already checked. It's not ice. It feels like it but it's not.' I reply. 'Oh, okay then.' Tamika says then sits back. We open the other parachutes and take out the food. It's similar to the first meal we got. There's hot stew and even some steamed vegetables. There's also fruit and a large thermos which contains herbal tea. They were even nice enough to send plates and cups. I divide out the food into equal portions and pour the tea. We're all so hungry so we finish eating in a few minutes. The sky lights up with the Capitol seal. The anthem plays and we don't even look at the sky. We know who died today. The boy from 3, the girl from 6, the boy from 12 and Veronica. I take out the cactus list and cross them off. I roll it up and place it back in my pack. Jared's eyes are shining with tears and he wipes them away quickly. I walk over and try to comfort him but it doesn't work. He'll always be haunted with this memory, as long as he lives. Once the seal disappears, we lie back and fall into a restless sleep.

_A/N: I told you this chapter would be a bit more action packed! Four deaths in one day... I didn't expect that many but it definetely narrows down the field of players! There's only one more outlying tribute left which is the girl from 6. I might say this now to intrigue you. There is an ending that NO-ONE saw coming. It even breaks the rules of the Games XD. As usual, comments, reviews and votes are welcome :D. I'd like to have some commentation on this story. If you read it, just leave a midgy, teeny, weeny one. It will take 10 seconds of your time. Please?_

_~Celinachan_


	15. Chapter 15

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
We woke up the next morning and the woods were alive with birdsong. Finally we got some decent environment. There's just the girl from District 6 left apart from us Careers. After we kill her, we get one day to spread out then the real Games will begin. We set off deeper into the woods to try and find the girl. I think her name was Anita. I remember Caesar saying it. We come to a spot where all the leaves and twigs are rustled and messed up. She's been here. The four of us form a circle and face outwards to scan the surroundings. We aren't that loud. If she left when she heard us coming, she can't have gone far. I catch the zipper of a white jacket behind a pine tree. 'There she is!' I yell. We make a mad dash for her as she leaps nimbly through the trees. Tamika is getting her axe out of her belt. She hurls it at the tree in front of Anita and it crashes to the ground in her path. Blaze scrambles forward and pulls Anita to the ground. She laughs and plays with her spear. 'Last outlying tribute left. And we have it right here.' Blaze taunts as she slashes her spear across Anita's cheek. Anita screams in pain and presses her sleeve to the cut to staunch the bleeding. 'Why bother? You're going to die anyway.' Blaze smiles. She shoves Anita to the ground and presses her spear into her back, just piercing the skin. Anita bites her bottom lip hard as a red colour starts staining her jacket. 'Who wants to finish her off?' Blaze asks. 'I'll do it.' Jared says and swings his machete down on her back. The impact makes a thud and Anita is left there with her mouth open in a silent scream. The cannon goes off after Jared pulls his machete out. 'Ah. Last outlying tribute done. Now, we all get the rest of today to go away from each other and hide. If any of us meet, we call it a truce and walk in opposite directions. When the sun rises tomorrow, that's when we can start to fight. Good luck.' Jared grins as he picks up his pack and machete and leaves. Blaze does the same. They leave Tamika and I standing there. 'Meet me in the very centre of the arena tomorrow night. You'll know where it is. Everything on top is always cleared away and the door underneath is blue.' Tamika says, I smile at her and say, 'Deal.' We pick up our packs and walk in different directions. Tamika give me a smile just she she disappears behind a tree.

_Anita Cristele District 6_  
I was lucky yesterday. The whole arena was empty except for a sheet of ice on the floor. I heard four cannons. When I saw the fallen tributes in the sky, three outlying tributes were dead as well as one Career. That meant I was the only outlying tribute left. I am the Career's only target. The odds are not in my favour. The environment is a forest today and I can't climb trees. I can't really hide in a bush either because I'm quite tall. I've only just managed to put everything into my pack when I hear voices. I jump up silently and sneak behind a massive pine tree. My jacket is white. That's not going to blend in with the surroundings is it? The Careers reach my clearing. They walk around for a bit before the strong boy from District 7 sees the zipper of my jacket behind the tree. I sprint for my life between the trees and they are close behind me. I'm about to get away when that damn girl from District 7 cuts down a tree and blocks my path. I have nowhere to run because the Careers are closing in from all directions. The tall girl from District 1 shoves me on the ground and slashes my cheek with her spear. I scream in pain and press my sleeve to my cheek. 'Why bother? You're going to die anyway.' she taunts. She then pushes me onto my back and jabs her spear a few centimetres into my flesh. I bite my lip to stop myself from cryiing out from the pain. Before I know it, the massive boy from District 2 comes up and swings his machete at my back. I feel my bones crunch and puncture my heart and lungs. He pulls his machete out and I take one last gulp of air. _This is it,_I think_. I'm dead now. All because of the stupid Games. _I blow out one last huff of air and my cannon sounds.

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I run swiftly through the forest searching for a good tree to hide in. I look at the leaves and see if anyone has been this way. I find a trail of ruffled leaves. I know these aren't Cayton's tracks. He's too smart fo leave this much destruction in his path. These must be either Blaze or Jared's tracks. I walk in their tracks to hide mine and search for a tree. I know they will probably target Cayton and I first since we aren't 'official' Careers. I decide to climb up one of the trees here since they probably won't retrace their path. I choose a big tree with lots of leaves and find a fork in the branches. I place my pack on a branch and I sit in the fork. I sigh and lie back into the tree. A silver parachute lands on top of my backpack. I tear it open and find food. I still have food from the paper bag I got with my gift a couple of days ago but I take the food anyway. Who knows how long the Games will go for? I peer inside and find roast chicken with those delicious noodles. My mouth waters at the smell. My paper bag only held cold things like a couple of sandwiches and salad as well as some fruit. I'd better eat the noodles now. I haven't had a meal today and the noodles are hot. If I don't eat it now, I don't think I'll find a microwave in the arena to heat it up. I take the fork out and gorge myself with the delicious noodles and chicken. It's the best thing I've had yet. There are other thing inside the parachute so I take them out. There's even more sandwiches which means that Katarina is expecting the Games to go on for a couple more days. I hope not. I just want to get out of this bleeding arena as soon as possible, dead or alive. I put the sandwiches in my pack and search some more in the parachute. There's also half a lemon. I remember the saying that my father always told me. 'When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people's eyes', he'd say. I did exactly that to him and he went blind stumbling around for the next few hours. I placed the lemon in my jacket pocket. Who knew if it might come in handy? I spend the rest of the day sorting through my pack, organising everything neatly. The Capitol seal shines bright in the sky and as we already knew, the photo of Anita is the only one that shows. I sit back in my fork and rest my head on my pack. I'd better be on the look out tomorrow. For Cayton as well as the other two. I'm safe up here. You can't see me in this tree because of the leaves and no-one still in the Games can climb trees except for Cayton, but he wouldn't attack me. I lie back and fall into a dreamless sleep.

_A/N: I am so excited for the next chapter so I'll be nice to you and post Chapter Sixteen in the next hour or so. Or maybe I'll make you wait and post it tomorrow... MWAHAHA *evil laugh*. No, I'm not that mean. I'll post it later. Toodles for now!_

_~Celinachan_


	16. Chapter 16

_Jared Kingsley District 2_  
Today, I wake up nice and early to take down the other tributes that were once in my alliance. I haven't recieved any parachutes from sponsors yet which means the others havent either. After all, I'm from District 2 and we're always the most popular tributes. I spent the night on the ground so I'm covered in dirt. Dirt? I look around and find that today's environment is the same as yesterday's. Finally it stays the same for two days in a row! I brush the dirt off my jacket, pick up my pack and trudge down a random path. As I walk, I choose Tamika as my target for today. She's the most skilled out of everyone else and once she's down, the others should be easy. I walk through the trees when I hear a rusle. I whip around but only find the wind rustling the leaves on the ground. I sigh and keep walking. It's been a while when I decide to sit down and rest. I know that Tamika is the only one who can climb trees. That's an advantage to her because no-one else can. She's probably hiding somewhere in the trees. Why did't I think of that earlier? I take a sip of my water and stand up. When I continue walking, I look up in the trees, looking for a green jacket. What luck that District 7 has. The day I try to find them, the environment just has to be green. It's late afternoon when I hear something. It's coming from up in the trees. I look up and see the edge of a green jacket poking out through the branches. Hah! I found Tamika! I'm so happy I've found her, but she knows I'm here as well. She may be quick and swift and skilled with weapons, but we both know who's physically superior. I go to the base of the tree and shake it. The leaves rustle and Tamika laughs. 'Hi Jared!' she says cheerily. 'Nice day for a stroll huh?' I growl in frustration and pull my machete out of my belt. 'You're not going to get me with that are you? A big boy like you should know. People don't throw machetes.' she teases. 'Who said I was going to throw it?' I ask as I stick my machete into the tree. 'What'cha going to do? Cut the tree down?' she taunts. 'That's exactly what I'm going to do.' I reply. I push my machete back and forth but I can't seem to cut through the centre. 'This is a pine tree, stupid. The inner layer is edible but the middle is hard as stone. Good luck with cutting that down!' she says as she munches on an apple. I ignore and try cutting again. 'Got too much energy huh? Trying to waste it?' she asks cheekily. I grit my teeth and pull my machete back. I feel something hard drop onto my head. It bounces off and lands on the dirt. It's the core of the apple Tamika has been eating. She laughs hysterically. 'Y-y-your f-f-face!' she laughs. 'T-that expression was p-p-p-priceless!' she giggles. I grasp my machete in my hand firmly and try to claw my way up the trunk. I try my hardest to grasp a hold, but I keep slipping down. I stand up and brush the dirt of myself. I try again. This time, I get a little bit further. I look up and find Tamika grinning down at me with an axe in her hand. 'Sweet dreams, pretty boy.' she taunts as she throws the axe at my head. The axe flies with so much force that I don't even have time to dodge. I feel an indescribable pain cuts through my head. Literally. I fall to the ground as my cannon sounds. I remember Veronica's words. 'That girl is smarter than she looks.'

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
Well that was easy. Jared obviously didn't plan. He comes loaded with all his supplies, takes a machete out of his belt and comes slashing at the tree. It's a pine tree for goodness sake. You can't cut through the centre of pine trees with a machete. After he finally realises that he can't cut the tree down, he starts to climb. He knows my skills. He was in our alliance. He knows that I can throw with axes and rarely ever miss. Yet he still climbs like a worm up my tree thinking he can kill me. Pfft. Wrong way round. I killed him. To be honest, I thought he would be harder to kill. I've still got three sandwiches left in my pack as well as four bottles of water. I jump down from the tree and grab his pack. The hovercraft appears a second later. I look in Jared's pack. There's dried fruit, biscuits, crackers and three more bottles of water. I put them in my pack. I hear a footstep on the ground. I peer through the branches and find Blaze standing there. I take out my other axe as a precaution. She looks around for a minute or two then runs off. It's already starting to get dark. Maybe I'll let her live. I lean back into my fork and put my axe on top of my pack in case. I close my eyes and smile when I hear a thud. My eyes snap open and look down. Shit! My axe fell off my backpack! I am now weaponless and Blaze is nearby. My location is instantly revealed. Blaze is probably smart enough to know that I would spend the day in a tree. I have only just thought these thoughts when Blaze comes running back into the clearing. She spies my axe on the ground. 'Well, I thought that girl was smart. She just dropped her axe and revealed where she has camped.' Blaze murmurs. She looks up at me and grins. 'Found you.' she calls. 'I realise that. I may have dropped my axe but I'm not THAT stupid.' I retort. 'Well lucky for me, the weapon of my choice today seems to be a bow and arrow. The perfect weapon to get you from down here.' she smiles evily. She loads her bow and aims at me. I spring up onto the next branch to dodge the arrow. I know I have no chance of fighting her from up here since I don't have my axe. The only way to kill her is to get on the ground. I decide to leave my pack up in the tree. Therefore, if Blaze wins this fight, she doesn't have any access to my supplies. I tear off some twigs and use them as a shield as I leap off the tree from 18ft and tackle Blaze to the ground. The first thing I do I tear the bow from her grasp and break it in half. It's wooden so it snaps easily. Blaze gasps. We fight in hand to hand combat for quite a while when I kick her in the knees. She buckles forward but regains her balance. She strides towards me and grasps my forearms firmly. She twists me forcefully and holds my neck. She pulls a knife out of her belt and holds it to my throat. This it it, I think. My father's training was for nothing. Blaze pulls me to the ground and my arm falls to my side. It hits something round before it drops to the floor. I lift my hand and reach into my pocket. I pull out the lemon that I recieved. 'When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people's eyes.' my father said. I summoned all the energy I had left and broke out of Blaze's grip. I punched her in the nose then squeezed the lemon in her eyes. She screams clutching her face as I dash for my axe. She has managed to stand up but she can't see. This is the moment I have trained for. I sprint forwards and embed my axe in her chest. I shove her to the floor and her eyes turn glassy. 'Goodbye, best friend.' I say sarcastically. The cannon sounds. I pull my axe out from her chest and clean it with some leaves. I climb up the tree and grab my pack. I head off to the meeting spot that Cayton and I have organised. After a fifteen minute walk, I reach the blue door and see Cayton a few feet away. I run up to him and give him a hug. 'I was worried you weren't coming. I heard those two cannons today and thought one of them might be yours.' he says. 'Pfft. Jared was easy. I just threw an axe into his head. Blaze on the other hand, was more difficult. I accidentally dropped my axe as she entered the clearing I was in and she knew where I was. I was weaponless so I just jumped out of the tree and tackled her. Eventually, the thing that saved me was the lemon I found in my sponsor package.' I grinned. 'Okay, so what's the plan?' He asks. 'Well...' I say.

_A/N: Haha! Cliffhanger! I'm sorry for not posting this chapter an hour after the last one. I wrote it all then was about to save when my computer decided to do its 'Windows Update' thing. I lost the whole chapter and had to write it all over again. Sorry if you were waiting for it. Anyway, please comment or review. Whether it's constructive criticism or praise, I don't mind. Anything to make my writing better. Toodles!_

_~Celinachan_


	17. Chapter 17

_Tamika Frentle District 7_  
I spent the night in a tree and Cayton slept on the ground. I hoped my plan would work. The sun rises and there are flies and insects buzzing around. I am crossing my fingers and hoping that the arena will be the same as yesterday, but it's not. I scan my surrondings and see a massive river and jungle trees all around. I remember my father told me about a very big river in Africa called the Amazon. His description fit this river perfectly. He told me that there were flesh eating fish and alligators in it. I'd better be careful. I stretch and yawn and look at the sky. I shake the tree and it jolts Cayton out of his peaceful slumber. 'What?' he asks groggily. 'Morning sleepyhead.' I mutter. 'Hey! I heard that!' he exclaims indignantly as I laugh. We're feeling so carefree when stupid Claudius Templesmith's voice interrupts us. 'Welcome, final contestants, we are holding a feast at the Cornucopia in one hour. Whoever is alive at the end of it is will be the winner of the Annual 23rd Hunger Games!' he roars. I give the sky a dull look. How stupid is the Capitol? They should know that we're still allies and that we're not going to fight. I sigh and jump out of the tree with my pack. 'Well, we have an hour to pass.' I say tiredly. 'Why don't we go for a swim?' Cayton asks. 'Unless you wanted to get eaten alive by flesh eating fish and alligators, be my guest.' I tease. Cayton's eyes bulge out. 'Did you just say flesh eating fish?' He asks. 'You heard me.' I say. He gulps and picks up his pack. 'Are you okay to hunt now?' he asks. 'Yeah, I guess. I'll just get two birds.' I reply. In no time, I have two birds dangling from my belt and I return to our little camp. Cayton is waiting there with greens and berries in his hands. He's already made a fire and is cooking the greens. I stuff the birds through a stick and let it cook. A few minutes later, I smell something wrong coming out of the bird. I waft some of the smell over with my hand. It doesn't smell right. Even Cayton suspects something is wrong. Suddenly, I see something silver glint through the bird. I push away the feathers and see a time bomb ticking away. There's 25 seconds left. 'RUN!' I scream. We grab our packs and make a mad dash in any direction away from the river. We take off through the trees and sprint as far away as possible in the 25 seconds we have. I turn around and see a massive explosion rocket through the trees towards us. 'Quick, jump into these rock structures!' I yell. We dive in the holes just as the flames zoom past and blow up another ten trees. Our breathing is ragged and we smile at our close escape. The Capitol must have planned it. Maybe they're not as stupid as we think. The fire is still raging outside. I think the explosion has stopped and am about to poke my head out when another deafening boom travels throughout the arena. It must have been the other 'muttation bird' I killed. The fire rages once more for a while then everything is silent. I poke my head out of the rock structure we were hiding in and look around. All the trees are burnt and there is debris floating everywhere. We step out and take cautious steps to the Cornucopia. I assume an hour has passed so the feast should be ready. We step out onto the plain and walk over to the table. One pack has the name 'Cayton' on it and the other reads 'Tamika'. We take our separate packs and walk back into the jungle forest. We sit on the ground and open our packs. Inside mine is a set of metal armour, an axe, a knife and lots of food. Doesn't look like we're going to need the food because we're going to end the Games today anyway. Cayton has recieved the same. I wink at Cayton and we go back to the rock structure we were sheltering in from the bomb. 'Bite on this if it hurts.' I whisper holding out my pack to him. In one swift motion, I have cut the tracker out of Cayton's wrist. His teeth are clamping down on the pack so hard that I am afraid he is going to rip the fabric apart. I tear open the first aid kit and jam a needle into his arm that contains painkiller. His face relaxes almost instantly. He holds his wrist to his chest and lets the blood stain his jacket. I put the tracker on the ground and stab my knife into it. It gives a sizzle then dies. The cannon goes off. The Capitol was fooled. I cut up the remains of the tracker and bury them in the ground. I give Cayton a pat on the shoulder and a smile. I then start crying for show and step out of the rocks. I curl up in a ball on the ground and start sobbing like there's no tomorrow, whereas I'm flying inside that the Capitol bought our act. The hovercraft comes and plucks Cayton out of the rocks. Claudius Templesmith's voice booms out loud. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the winner of the 23rd Annual Hunger Games, Tamika Frentle from District 7!' The roars of the Capitol are played on speakers for me to hear. A hovercraft flies down and picks me up. I sit in it and wait to be delivered back to the Capitol. I step into the Remake Centre and Aquasia and Katarina are there hugging me so tight that they are almost cutting off my air circulation. They release me and Anna comes and wheels me into the room where they will fix me up. Fortunately, I only have a few grazes and bruises on my body which should be easy for them to fix. Once they've applied layers and layers of cream on my grazes then peeled them off, Aee comes out to meet me. Her eyes are shining with tears. 'Well done Tamika.' she says. 'I'm sorry about Cayton.' I pretend to look down and try not to meet her eyes.

_Cayton Frentle District 7_  
I try and pretend I'm dead which is surprisingly hard. The people in the hovercraft put me into a wooden box and close the lid. Luckily, there are holes in the side for air to come through. Before I know it, I'm on my way back to District 7. I am put on the train and it starts off. I reach into my pocket and take out the sandwiches Tamika left me. I smile at her thoughtfulness. I much into one and the taste of salty ham and fresh lettuce smother my tastebuds. I've eaten all three sandwiches when the train finally pulls to a stop. They pick up the box I am in and walk to Therese's house. They knock on the door and I hear Therese come and answer it. 'Here is your son. We thought you might like a moment with him before we bury him. 'Okay.' Therese says wiping away tears. 'Please go. I will tell you when I am ready.' The peacekeepers nod and leave the house. Therese lifts the lid of my coffin and kisses my forehead. While my mouth is at her ear, I whisper, 'Don't worry Therese, I'm not dead.' she gasps and sits bolt upright. I open my eyes and give her a toothy grin. 'Tamika saved me. She destroyed my tracker and made the Capitol think I was dead.' I whisper. Therese cries tears of joy that her adoped son is still alive. I quickly jump out of the box and hide in her closet. She puts in heavy things that would be the quivalent of my weight and secures the lid. She carries it and tells the Peacekeepers that she has already sealed it. They nod at her and take the coffin. She runs back inside and gives me a strong hug. 'I may not be your birth mother, but I am just as proud of you as she would have been. Well done Cayton.' she whispers. My eyes fill with tears and I hug her back.

_A/N: So Cayton isn't dead for all you Cayton fans out there! I didn't have the heart to make him get killed in the arena... I'm so sappy aren't I? Well, so just to sum it up, Cayton has to live the rest of his life in hiding, with only Therese, Tamika and her father knowing the truth. The next chapter will be about Tamika's final interview and her return to District 7. And that will be the end of the book. We're nearly there! Toodles for now! Feel free to leave a comment!_

_~Celinachan_


	18. Chapter 18

_Tamika____Frentle____District 7_  
I'm so happy to be out of the arena. It's great not to have to look behind your back every minute. Dee, Eee and Fee prepare me for my interview. I only had a few bruises and scrapes so I was alright to have my interview tonight. Fee files my nails and paints them with a clear gloss while Dee and Eee work on tending to my injuries. At one point, they prod my ankle and my Hunger Games instincts take over so I throw a massive kick and send Eee flying into the door. She slumps down unconsious. I gasp and rush over to her. 'GAH! I THINK I KILLED HER!' I scream. Dee walks over and checks Eee's pulse. 'Don't worry, she'll be fine. I'll just get her to the hospital. Don't blame yourself, you just got out the arena. Every year it's the same.' she reassures me. Fee is holding in a laugh when she sees my face. 'What?' I ask, almost giggling myself. She can't help herself then. She explodes with laughter and has to use the sink to hold herself up. 'That was one strong kick.' she comments as she pulls herself together and finishes my nails. She runs the wax down my right shin one last time then give me a robe. I pull it on and sit up. 'Anna will be here in a second.' she says and sits down next to me. In exactly 47 seconds, Anna enteres the room and makes me cover my eyes. I hear something unzip and am told to lift my arms above my head. I feel something get fitted on my head then step into a pair of shoes. 'Open your eyes.' Anna says so I open them. I gasp again for the umpteenth time as I see myself standing infront of the mirror. I am wearing a metallic gold dress which shows off my slim waist then flares out below. I look down and I am wearing matching metallic gold knee-height boots that have 3" heels. On my head, there's also a gold headband that is covered in shiny silver sequins. My hair falls down my back like it usually does, except it is much glossier than usual. 'Thankyou so much!' I squeal as I run up to Anna and give her a massive bear hug. She staggers backwards, surprised at my sudden movement. I pull back and Anna beams at me. 'I saw Dee carrying Eee towards the hospital. What happened?' Anna asks. Fee and I burst into laughter. 'Eee prodded her ankle to see if it needed treatment and Tamika's instinct just came in and she kicked Eee into the door. The door was a good seven metres away.' Fee explains while stiffling another giggle. Anna shakes her head in disbelief then grins. 'Come on, I've got a visitor for you.' she says as she pulls me out of the door. Fee gives me a mischevious grin. Anna pulls me along to the hospital. 'You've taken me here to apologise to Eee?' I ask. 'Nope. Someone completely different!' she says. We reach a door labled '529'. It's an brown wooden door with a black handle. I push the door open and I find no-one in the room even though it's decorated festivly. I walk up to the bed and sit down. I look around and see balloons and streamers everywhere. Suddenly, I am attacked from behind and see Fidelia grinning madly. 'Fidelia!' I cry. Even though her tongue is rather disgusting, I'm so happy to see her. 'Hi Tamika! Well done on winning the Games! I bet on you the whole entire time you know?' she rattled on. I stared wide eyed in disbelief. 'Y..you..your tongue... it's... NORMAL!' I stutter. 'Yes, I requested it because I saw how disgusted you were by it. I thought it would be a nice surprise.' she smiled. 'Oh Fidelia! You didn't have to do that for me!' I say. 'That's fine. I find it easier to talk this way anyway.' she grins. Fidelia presses a box into my hands. I open it and inside lies a pair of golden earrings, the same colour that my dress is made of. She sits up and puts the earrings in my ears. 'Just the finishing touch. You look beautiful.' she says. 'Awww, thanks Fidelia!' I say as I give her another hug. 'How long are you going to stay in hospital?' I ask. 'Oh, I was allowed out two days ago but I came back to give you the surprise!' she explains. 'I'm coming to the interview tonight! I got front row seats.' she says clapping her hands excitedly. Anna pulls me out of the room. You're on stage in an hour. Do what you need to do, and I'll come pick you up later.' she says as she hurries back over to the Remake Centre.

Not knowing what to do, I walk into the Training Centre and push the button that says '7'. I ride the elevator up and push open the door. Streamers fly into my face and glitter flies everywhere. Katarina and Aquasia are standing in the middle of the mess with massive grins on their faces. I run towards them and jump into Katarina's arms. 'You did it! You won the Games! Don't worry, I know what happened to Cayton. Therese contacted me and said that Cayton is very thankful to you.' she whispers in my ear. I give her a smile and walk over to Aquasia. She embraces me in a big hug then pulls back and starts randomly squealing. I can't make out a word she is saying. But from her facial expression, I can tell that she is estatic. As usual. We sit down and talk about certain parts of the Games. Katarina seemed to be the most worried when my axe dropped when Blaze was around. Apparently she and Aquasia were screaming in front of the television for some mutts to appear and take Blaze away. That didn't happen. 'You know, when I was younger, my father would always say this to me. "When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people's eyes." That saying seemed to save my life in the arena.' I say. The two of them are looking at me with pride in their eyes. 'The arena was tough this year. You had to survive in different environments each day. I was so worried when that lion was up in the tree with you.' Aquasia says. 'It was lucky Blaze provoked the lion and it caused us all to wake up. If she just ran away, we probably would all be dead.' I say. Katarina sighs then takes my hand. Let's go to the stage. We should prepare.' When both of them stand up, it's only then that I see what they're wearing. Katarina is wearing a floor length dress that is coloured such a bright red that I swear I lost half my vision. Aquasia is wearing a lilac ruffled dress with massive heels and a scarf. For once she's not wearing aqua. Personally, I think lilac suits her better. We all hold hands and walk up to the stage. Katarina leads me into the underground podium that will rise onto the stage. She gives me a hug for luck then disappears. I breathe in and out in ragged breaths. This is my night. There's no pressure on me at all. It's a night to enjoy.

I close my eyes and imagine the bright lights of the stage. My thoughts are interrupted as Caesar's voice booms onstage. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to tonight's show! Just yesterday, a girl by the name of Tamika Frentle won the 23rd Hunger Games. We're going to show the video replay of the Games and I'm going to ask our lovely new victor some questions! Without further ado, let's welcome her team to the stage!' I look at the small television in the corner. I see Anna and my prep team rise out of podiums onto the stage. They give small curtseys and bows and turn to Caesar. 'Well Anna, I have to say, those outfits you designed for her before the Games were stunning! What did you base your designs on?' Caesar asked. 'Well, I was actually assigned as her stylist quite late. Her former stylist, Fidelia, the woman in corkscrew orange sitting in the front row, she was running across the road then got hit by a car.' Anna starts. The audience laughs. Fidelia grins at her from her seat. Anna continues. 'I didn't have much time so I looked at Tamika and I immediately saw an angel. That's why I designed all her outfits as white dresses in different variations.' she explains. 'She certainly is one sweet angel isn't she...' Caesar mutters, commenting on my interview and how I slapped him. The audience laughs again. 'Anyway, next, we have Tamika's district escort, Aquasia!' he announces. The crowd cheers as Aquasia rises onto the stage. 'You must be so proud to have been assigned to District 7 this year, aren't you?' Caesar asks. 'I certainly am! Tamika is a wonderful young lady. I feel so lucky to have been her district escort.' Aquasia replies. 'Now, can we please welcome Tamika's mentor, Katarina Stewart!' The crowd erupts in cheers as Katarina rises on stage. 'So Katarina, did you and Tamika have an original plan for the Games?' Caesar asks. 'No, not really. We just got Tamika to join the Career group then saw how things went from there.' Kataina replied. 'I also noticed that you cut down on the amount of sponsor gifts you sent this year.' Caesar commented. 'Yes. I certainly did. I only started raining gifts on her when the Career alliance broke up. I knew that when she was with them, she would have protection and shelter. Also, she can hunt.' Katarina says. 'I see, you must be so proud of her.' Caesar says. 'I am.' Katarina replies. 'Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, please welcome... TAMIKA FRENTLE!' The crowd goes wild and everyone stands up as I rise through the floor. I smile at all the faces in the crowd and blow kisses. The cheering goes on for quite a few minutes. Finally, the noise dies down and I face Caesar with his hot pink hair. 'Well Tamika, I was previously reminded of what you did to me on that interview night. Is what you said still true? About Cayton? We couldn't get a clear shot of what was happening in the rocks in the Games.' Caesar says. I give him a death glare then march over to Aquasia and rip off her scarf. I drag Caesar in his chair and tie him in with Aquasia's scarf. I then lift the chair up and hang it on one of the stage prop hooks. Caesar looks petrified. 'You were saying?' I ask. The audience starts laughing at Caesar's feebleness. Katarina stands up. 'Our 13 year old victor can tie Caesar up and hang him on a stage prop hook in a mini dress and high heeled boots. That's pretty impressive.' she says with a grin. The audience laughs AGAIN and looks at Caesar. Once the sound dies down, I walk over to Caesar and bring the chair down and put it back where it was. I untie the scarf and give it back to Aquasia. 'Alright... where were we?' he asks, dazed. I giggled and smiled at Katarina. 'Well, lets just get onto the Games video shall we?' he asks the audience. They clap and cheer as the video gets loaded onto the projector. They show the chariot costumes and the ride down to the city square. Since I am the victor, there is a camera following us very closely and you can see my expressions cleary. They've cut out President Snow's speech which is great then they skip straight to the bloodbath. We see everyone rise out of the tubes from the District 9 boy's point of view. We see the ice glaciers and the freezing water. I turn to the audience and they are counting down the seconds until the gong rings. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the gong sounds and I dive into the water. I know there could be hungry sharks or something down there but I must get to the Cornucopia first. When I am fighting, the camera zooms in to capture my every move. Once the bloodbath is done, they have edited in clear shots of the other tributes. Some are injured and others are fine. They then zoom in on the dead bodies around the Cornucopia. I wince as they show their gruesome deaths. They skip to me hunting with Blaze. I am shown throwing my axes at the unfortunate birds who happened to be my targets. They skip around to different parts of the Games so I look around. The audience oohs and aahs at different moments but I pretend to just smile and act like it was nothing. But it's not nothing. I came out of the 23rd Hunger Games alive. And no sane person ever does.

I'm bored out of my brain as I watch the rest of the Games replay. Caesar asks me a few questions about how I felt during certain parts of the Games and about different fights, especially the one with Blaze. I tell the audience about my father's saying. 'When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people's eyes.' the audience laughs at it. I smile at it too. 'Katarina,' I ask. 'Which sponsor gave me the lemon?' 'Oh, that was a personal request from your father.' she replies. I gape open mouthed at her. My father must have sacrificed so much just to get me half a lemon. I will never be able to pay him back. I'm thinking about this so much that I don't even realise the session has ended. Katarina hauls me up and I smile and wave at the audience as she leads me off stage. 'Tamika, we'll go back to your apartment. Get changed into something comfortable then I'll take you to the train.' Katarina says. I can barely keep my eyes open as I drag my feet into the Training Centre. I choose a yellow silk outfit then step out to join Katarina. She takes my hand and pulls me along onto the train. I walk into my cabin that is luxurious and wash off my makeup. The crew announces that we are about to depart. 'Okay.' I mutter as I slide in under the sheets. I feel the train jolt forward and I am on my way back home to District 7.

'Tamika. Tamika!' A voice shouts me awake. I flutter my eyelids and sit up, trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes. It's Katarina. 'Hey Tamika, we're about to pull into District 7 in half an hour. Thought you might want to look presentable. Clothes are in your drawer.' she says then exits my cabin. I sit up and give a massive yawn then walk over to my closet. I look out the window and see hot summer sun burning down. That's given me a clue to what to wear today. I fish out a pair of denim shorts and a random blue and black stripy t-shirt. I put them on and add my golden boots from last night. I make my way over to the dresser and run a comb through my hair a couple of times. I just wear my golden headband since I can't be bothered to do anything else. I walk into the dining carriage and eat some bread and jam. I'm too excited to eat. I sip down some juice then smooth down my outfit and go meet Katarina. 'We're approaching District 7 in five minutes!' A voice says through the speakers. Katarina comes out and takes my hand. We walk up to the window as we pull into the station. The train jolts to a stop and the people of District 7 cheer and clap at my arrival. I see Therese and my father standing in the middle of the crowd with tears rolling down their cheeks. I dash out of the train and run to my father and give him the biggest hug I can manage. The crowd cheers and showers me in gifts. Katarina gets a round of applause too. I hold my father's hand and he leads me back to our small house. He's packed everything into small boxes so that we can move into Victor's Village. We are going to be occupying the 4th house in Victor's Village. I am the fourth victor. My name is Tamika Frentle. I won the Games when I was 13 years old. I defied the Capitol and I am still alive. I'll live a long life, that's what my father says. I certainly hope his words are true.

_A/N: OMG! That is the end of the book! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, I certainly loved writing it! Please comment! I'll be writing a Lorien Legacies fanfic soon so watch out for it! My birthday is coming up in a few months so the best present you could give me are COMMENTS AND REVIEWS! Thankyou for everyone who read and voted for this story. I really appreciate it! Thanks!_

_~Celinachan_


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